Summer of Change
by PCFreak619
Summary: Sequel to The Nerd and The Jock. It's now summer vacation. Where friendships, relationships, and many other things change, as the new school year is upon them. And for Margo Roberts, that is certainly the case. Especially, when a certain family member is back in the picture. And her looking for love, only to find it in the most unlikely of places.
1. Chapter 1: Start of Summer

**Summer of Change**

**By PCFreak619**

**Chapter 1 - Start of Summer Vacation**

**Author's Note: First of all, thanks to all of you who read my first story, The Nerd and The Jock. Side note, I also plan to, if I ever get around to it, write a few stories about the Anderson siblings. That will definitely be interesting to write. If I get to it sooner or later, that is. **

**Now, if you read the epilogue of The Nerd and The Jock, you may have noticed that I said that the sequel to that story will, this time, have Margo in the lead. I think she's an interesting character, that doesn't seem to have a lot of fics, that I know of, with her as the lead role. So, I figured, "Why Not?"**

**Now, I am gonna do what I did last time when I wrote The Nerd and The Jock. When I wrote that first chapter, some people automatically assumed that I was gonna do a Clyde x Lynn, or Clynn, story. But, that wasn't the case at all, and look at what I created. For this story, I saw someone write a comment that suggested I was gonna do a Margo x Lincoln, or Lingo, for that one. And, I'm gonna say now, that that is not the case either. This story will also be an OC story. This time being, Margo x OC. And who is that OC you might ask? Well, if you read my last story, you'll probably already guess who it is. **

**Now, for this story, there will be some teenage anx stuff like in the last story. Drama, Romance, all that kinda stuff. However, I will also be including another thing in this story, that may or may not be triggering to some people. Well, maybe not "triggering" per say, but definitely hard to watch at times. So, all I can say for that is, viewer discretion is advised. **

**Now that that's all outta the way, here is my newest story. ****Summer of Change****.**

The day was finally here. The day that all the students of Royal Woods Middle School look forward to every year. The day that all the stress about tests, and homework, and teachers, and so many other things came to an end. For a period of time.

It was the last day of school. The start of summer vacation was finally here. It was currently 3:10 pm right now. All the students were sitting in the classroom, just waiting for the final bell to freedom. The suspense was killing them.

But perhaps the three students who were the most anticipated for this day, was the jock trio of Lynn Loud, Jr., Polly Pain, and Margo Roberts. The three of them were all sitting near each other. Lynn was at the front of the class, Margo sat in the seat next to her, and Polly was sitting behind Lynn. All three of these girls couldn't wait to have three months of nothing but hanging out and doing a bunch of sporty things with each other.

Now the clock was at 3:13. The anticipation was at a fever pitch.

Their homeroom teacher got up to say something before the last bell.

"Well, students, I can honestly say that I'm gonna miss all of you who won't be coming back. I support all of you who are moving on to high school. I've been blessed to have gotten to know all of you. And I hope all of you have a great summer vacation. Thank you very much." Mr. Crathers said.

"Thank you, Mr. Crathers." All of the students said out loud. Now the clock had passed the 3:14 mark. It was now 10 seconds in counting.

"7...6...5…4...3...2...1…" All the students counted down out loud.

The clock buzzed with the time reading 3:15. It was finally over.

All the students stood up and cheered loudly. Some threw their papers up in the air. Some danced very over the top. Some stood on their desks and threw their arms up in the air and cheered wildly. And some just left the room as quick as they could.

Lynn, Polly and Margo celebrated for a few more seconds before deciding to leave. They had a lot of plans to get to.

"See ya in three months, Mr. Crathers." Polly called out to him. He waived back at her.

The three of them walked through the hallowed halls of Royal Woods Middle School one last time, before leaving the school. Most especially, Lynn and Margo. These two wouldn't be coming back next year. They'd be going to high school. While Polly, unfortunately, would be left behind for two more years. She wouldn't be joining them until they both were in their junior year.

Lynn and Margo wouldn't admit it, but they almost felt like crying. This place was where they became friends. Where they went through and dealt with a lot of shit with each other. And now, it was coming to an end. It was bittersweet, to say the very least.

They eventually made it outside. Now it was over. Now they were finally free. However, Margo and Lynn did take one last look at the Royal Woods Middle School sign, before they turned back.

"I can't believe it's over." Margo said.

Lynn sighed very sadly. "Yeah. It went by so fast, huh?" She replied.

Polly had a bit of a sad look on her face as well. "Heh. I guess I'm gonna have all the fun when I'm back here in three months." She said, trying to joke around.

The three of them all looked sad. As stated earlier, the three of them would be separated in three months, with Lynn and Margo going to high school, and Polly staying behind for two more years.

Lynn decided to break the silence. "Hey. Let's not get sad right now, guys. We've got three months of awesomeness to have with each other. Let's enjoy them while they last." She said.

Margo smiled and nodded. "You're right, Lynn. And hey, we have four new guy friends as well. The more people, the more fun, right?" She said to them.

This caused Polly to give Lynn a very sly looking smile. "Yeah. It's gonna be fun getting to know your boyfriend." Polly jokingly said.

Lynn now looked unamused at her friend. "Very funny, Polly." She said. Polly gave a small snicker.

What Margo said was true. Ever since they met, and especially when Cody and Lynn got together, all seven of them had, pretty much, become a big group of friends. They would hang with each other whenever they got the chance. They'd hang out at the mall, or the park, or other places a young teen would find entertainment in.

"Oh, speak of the devil." Margo said. Lynn looked over at the entrance again, and saw those four boys walking out. Michael, the arrogant one, Jacob, the down to earth one who was Michael's cousin, Derrick, the nice, kinda rich kid, and, of course, Cody. The nerdy boyfriend of Lynn.

The two of them had been together now, ever since the disastrous baseball game a few months ago. And they couldn't be any happier. Whenever the two had the chance, they would talk on the phone with each other, a habit that Lynn was, unfortunately, picking up from Lori. They would also study together, only this time, a little sweet talking and romantic affection would be there as well. They would kiss from time to time. They'd hang out and watch games together. They'd do a lot of things together. They really were as happy as can be.

They walked over to the girls and said hello to them. "Hey girls, how ya doing?" Derrick said.

"Good." Polly and Margo said at the same time. Lynn, however, was approaching Cody.

"Hey you." She playfully said as she kissed him.

He gave a sly smile to her. "Hey yourself." He said. Polly giggled a little bit at their affection. A few months ago, they were calling Polly out on how her and Rusty were together. Now, they were doing the same thing with each other. Oh, the irony.

Michael, however, just grinned with that arrogant smile on his face. "Okay, you guys aren't gonna start preparing for your wedding, are you?" He jokingly asked them.

They both looked at him with an unamused expression. Which was then followed by a smack to the back of Michael's head by his cousin.

"There ya go starting shit again, Michael." Jacob said.

His cousin stared to rub the back of his head, with a sarcastic frown on his face. "Welllllll. A guy's trying to have a little fuuuuunnnn. Now that summer is here." He said. Everybody rolled their eyes at him.

Yeah, even though all seven of them would hang out together, Margo and Michael still didn't necessarily like each other all that much. They would take shots at each other, they'd bicker about the most pointless of things, and they'd try to prove that they were better then one another. Yeah, it got annoying at times for their friends.

However, with all that said, they would at least know when to try, and that term would be used very loosely, to get along for their friends sake. Margo, obviously, did care about Lynn's feelings, and despite his arrogant demeanor, Michael did care about Cody's as well.

Margo groaned at Michael's sarcasm. "Anyway, since it's the first day of summer vacation, what do you guys wanna do?" She asked them.

"The mall?" Cody suggested.

"We do that most of the time, anyway. Let's think of something we haven't done before." Lynn said, while holding his hand.

"The bowling alley?" Derrick suggested.

Michael gave a sneer. "I'm not really into that tonight. Maybe some other time." He said. That surprised everybody. They thought he'd be all over beating them at a game again.

Then, he got an idea in his head. "I know. How about we go to that new Teen Center tonight? They just built it a week ago, and I've been wanting to try it out." He said.

"Teen Center? What's that?" Polly asked.

"It's a place where young kids, like us, can go hang out, play pool, drink some soda, have some nice snacks, do karaoke, and other things. It sounds like a cool place to hang." Jacob said.

Michael nodded toward his cousin. "That's right, cous. And I heard they're doing karaoke there tonight. That's got me interested." He said with a smile on his face.

Margo laughed at him. "You sing? I'd pay to see that." She sarcastically commented.

Michael snarled at her. "Yeah? Like **YOU **could do better. I whipped your ass at that bowling game a few months ago. And I know I can sing better than you."

"I never said I wanted to sing. I just want to see you bomb." Margo said, with Michael frowning at her.

Jacob stepped in this time. "Guys, come on. Don't fight. It's the beginning of summer. Let's try to get along, please?" He asked them. They both stared at each other very intensely.

"Yeah. But, I'm with Michael on this. Let's try that place out tonight, you guys." Cody said. Everyone agreed.

"Alright, I'll see you guys at 5:00." Michael said, as he and Jacob walked off in the opposite direction of the school.

"Later." Polly said,as she skated off toward her house.

"Yeah. I'll see ya then, guys." Derrick said, as a nice looking car drove up to the school, and picked him up.

Lynn, Margo, and Cody then walked off toward their homes. Luckily for them, they all lived close to each other.

As they all walked along, Margo saw Cody and Lynn holding each other's hands. Like how a real couple would do. She saw how happy they were together, like with Polly and Rusty a few months ago. And she felt what she felt at that time: Jealous.

Margo was happy for Lynn. She really was. And she was happy for Polly too. She was glad that her two best friends had found someone who really cares about them. And she supported their relationships with them as well. She got to know Rusty and Cody, and realized that they weren't just trying to get with them just to say that they have a girlfriend now. No. She knew that they cared very deeply for her two friends. And that made her happy.

However, she would be lying if she said she wasn't green with envy of them. She had been noticing boys for a long time now. Ever since she was about 11, she started to notice how handsome and attractive boys were. She did have a few crushes here and there, but perhaps her most recent, and biggest one, was Jason Nash. She was so attracted to him, it was almost pathetic. She'd stare at him during class all lovey-dovey like, she'd try to impress him with some athletic type of moves during gym class, and she'd waive and say "Hello" to him whenever they passed through the halls of Royal Woods Middle School.

She had that big of a crush on him. But didn't have the guts to tell him. Well, that was until Lynn told her to be brave and tell him how she felt. She wouldn't normally take advice that quickly, but since it came from one of her best friends, she decided to take it.

And boy was that a heartbreaking decision.

-/- _**Flashback to 4 months ago**_-/-

_Margo was just walking home after a nice little game that her and Polly created. It was called "Base Derby". Where they would combine roller derby with baseball. Lynn didn't join them, because she wanted to introduce Cody to her sisters and brother. But, she did promise to hang with them tomorrow at the mall. So, that was at least something._

_On her way home, she saw Jason walking toward her. He was a little bit taller than her. Around her age, maybe a bit older. A Caucasian kid with short blonde hair that kinda flowed whenever his football helmet was off. In good shape, and had the most hypnotizing green eyes she ever saw. _

_Her cheeks turned red, her heart started to beat really fast, and she was having a hard time breathing. But she remembered what Lynn said. And she was right. It was now or never._

_"H-H-Hi Jason." Margo said._

_He stopped, and acknowledged her. "Oh, hey Margo. What's up?" He said, very friendly._

_"I'm okay." Margo said, now rubbing the back of her head. Looking embarrassed._

_He was about to walk away, before Margo stopped him. "Wait." She said._

_He turned around. "Yes?" He asked her._

_She felt like she was about to have an anxiety attack. "Look, this may sound out of nowhere. But, you know, I've kind of, uh, been thinking, uh, a long t-time, and…." She looked over at him, and realized she was kind of rambling on. It was something she did whenever she got nervous._

_Jason just stared at her, with his eyebrow raising._

_Margo took a deep breath. "The thing is, I….I really like you, Jason. I have for a while now. And, I was wondering, if you'd like to go out some time." She finally said._

_That felt so good to get off her chest. All that anxiety was now flushed away. Now, all that was left was for Jason's answer._

_Unfortunately, for her, he gave her a look that spelled nothing but disappointment. _

_"Well, Margo I'm flattered, I really am, but, the truth is, you're just not my type." Jason said to her._

_Margo could swear she just felt like her heart shatter into a million pieces. To a point of it never being put back together. _

_"I honestly see you as one of the guys. That's just how I feel. I'm sorry, okay?" He said, letting her down in the most gentle way he possibly could._

_But, it didn't seem to work, as Margo now felt tears start to rise up out of her eyes. She didn't want to cry in front of her crush. But, she couldn't help it._

_"But hey, I still consider you a friend. That's something." He said, trying to be enthusiastic. _

_That didn't work either, as now Margo had her head down in shame. She felt humiliated. In front of her crush._

_Jason felt bad. He didn't want to hurt her anymore then he already was doing. "Well, I guess I'll see ya later then." He said, as he walked off._

_Margo couldn't take it. She ran in the opposite direction, and just went home. To cry her eyes out in the privacy of her bedroom. _

_And that's what she did. She cried herself to sleep that night. One of the worst nights of her life._

_-/- __**End of Flashback **__-/-_

That whole day still played in her head from time to time. She would think about how Jason made her feel that day. How she felt like she'd never find someone to like her for her.

Now both of her friends had boyfriends, and she didn't. And her three new guy friends weren't really someone she was looking for either. Obviously, she didn't like Michael, cause he was an arrogant son of a bitch. Derrick already had a girlfriend named Millie. And Jacob, well, she only saw him as a friend as well. Not to mention, he really didn't show any signs of wanting a girlfriend. He was, apparently, okay with being single. How she wished she felt that way.

It just wasn't fair is what she thought. Why couldn't she find a boy who liked her for her? Why couldn't she find a boy who accepts her for who she is? Why do they get boyfriends and she doesn't? What was so different about Polly and Lynn? Again, it just wasn't fair.

The three of them were getting closer to their respective homes. Margo's was closer. So, she took the chance to get away from Lynn and Cody to vent out her frustrations at home. Then, get ready to see them again in a few hours.

"I'll see you guys at the Teen Center. Bye." She said to both of them, walking toward her home.

Cody looked surprised at her for just leaving right there. "Is she okay? She looked kinda upset something." He said to Lynn.

She sighed in sadness. "She's just a little down about her not having a boyfriend. I feel so bad for her." Lynn said, now looking glum.

Cody put his arm around her shoulder. "Hey, someone will find her one day, and like her for her. I mean, it happened with you and me, right?" He said, sounding optimistic for her friend.

Lynn put on a small smile. "I guess. I just feel bad that me and Polly have boyfriends now, and she still doesn't. I'm worried if when we go out together, then I'll make her even more jealous then she already feels." She said, holding his hand that was around her shoulder.

Cody rested his head against her head. "I can tell Margo is a great friend to you. She's happy for you. She would never want you to have to choose between us. Don't worry too much, okay?" He told her in a supportive and loving way.

Lynn smiled and kissed Cody. "You are so optimistic for your own good, do you know that?" She asked.

Cody chuckled. "Yeah, I know." He said, very confident.

They said their goodbyes, for now, and walked back to their homes. They couldn't wait to try out the Teen Center tonight. It was gonna be fun. For all of them.

-/- **The Roberts Resident **-/-

Margo walked up to her home. It was a nice little home. It was a single story, two floor home, that was magenta colored on the outside. Nice shutters, a recently re-done roof, and had a few windows on each end of the house.

When she walked inside, she saw a familiar face coming to greet her. The face was a little girl, around 7 years old. She had a chesnut-like colored hair, which was held up by a yellow headband, a few freckles, and little buck teeth. Hopefully, she would soon get braces for those. She also wore a little yellow t-shirt, little blue jeans, and white sneakers. She appeared to be playing with a little white furred puppy. An old English Sheepdog puppy to be exact.

This little girl was named Clare. She was Margo's little sister. And the pup's name was Watterson.

Clare brought Margo in for a big hug. "Hi, big sis. Welcome home." She said in a very sweet tone. Even the dog, who was named Watterson, rubbed up against her leg in greetings as well.

Margo smiled down at her little sisters' hospitality. "Hey Clare. Hey Watterson." She greeted them back, enveloping the hug, and giving Watterson a nice pet on the head.

As this was going on, another familiar face came into the living room to greet her. This time, it was a woman, about 40 years old. She had long brown hair, kinda like Margo, except her's had a darker shade to it. She was about 6'2, just a wee bit taller than Margo. She also wore blue jeans, a red t-shirt, and wore black tennis shoes. This was Margo's mother, Jean. She had come out of the kitchen, apparently making ham and cheese sliders. One of Margo's favorite dinners.

"Hey, honey. How's my soon to be high school gal doing?" She asked, also bringing her into a hug. Margo accepted.

"I'm good, Mom. I smell those ham and cheese sliders." She said, taking in a big whiff of the smell.

Jean smiled. "Well, it's the first day of summer for my two little girls. I figured, why not?" She told them.

Clare smiled at them. Only then, Watterson decided to be a bratty dog, and steal the ball that they were playing with together.

She chased after him. "Watterson, that's not how fetch works. Come back here." She called out to him. He still ran from her.

Margo and Jean laughed at that whole situation. The two then went into the kitchen together. It smelled great in here.

"Hey, so, do you mind if I go out to that Teen Center tonight with my friends? We want our first day of summer to be a big deal." Margo asked Jean.

"That's fine with me, sweetie." Jean said. She then remembered something.

"Oh, by the way, here." She handed Margo a letter. She took one look at it, and frowned in disgust.

Margo Roberts

113 S Franklin Ave

Royal Woods, Michigan

And in the top right hand corner of the letter had a name and an address on it. With a stamp, of course. It read:

Harley Roberts

25 W Town Rd

Dayton, Ohio

The man who sent this, was Margo's father.

When she saw his name on the letter, she immediately threw it in the waste paper basket that was next to the sink. Followed by a gutteral sound. Which indictated her feelings toward him.

Jean put her hand on her daughter's shoulder, who was now crossing her arms, and looking cross while doing so.

"Now, sweetie, you shouldn't throw it away without even looking at it first." She said to him.

"I don't want anything to do with that asshole." Margo said, very vehemently.

"Watch your language, young lady." Jean scolded her, before giving her a sympathetic look. "Margo, I know you're still mad at him. I'm not too happy with him either. But, he's still your father." She said, trying to cheer her up.

However, Margo didn't want to hear any of this. "He may be my father, but he's not my dad. And he never will be." She said, sounding harsh.

"Oh, honey." Jean said, hugging her daughter again.

Margo didn't exactly hug back, but she did accept it. That was at least one thing she knew she would get from her mom and sister. They were always there for her when she felt like she needed them.

Unlike some people.

**Author's Note: So, yeah. Here ya go. My first official sequel. I hope all of you like the journey I'm gonna take you all on. Cause it will get emotional at times. Like I said at the top of the page: Viewer Discretion is Advised.**

**Anyway, if you like what you read, make sure to comment, like, follow and favorite for future updates. Happy New Year to you all, thank you, and goodnight everybody.**


	2. Chapter 2: Going to the Teen Center

**Summer of Change Chapter 2**

**Going To ****The Teen Center**

Margo left her house, bidding her mom, little sister, and pet farewell in the process, and headed over to Lynn's house to meet up with her. While she was walking, she remembered the letter that Harley had sent her. She wouldn't call him Dad. He didn't deserve that title.

Not after everything that happened while her mother was pregnant with Clare.

-/- _**Flashback to 7 1/2 Years Ago**_ -/-

_Margo was __six years__ old. She was up in her room, playing with her toys, just waiting for her Daddy to come home. Maybe he'd play with her for a little bit._

_...Yeah Right._

_Her father almost never had the time to play with her. Let alone talk with her, or cook a nice meal for her, or even help her out with her homework. That was her Mommy who would do that for her. _

_Mostly, however, he was not there for at least ONE of __her soccer games. She just started not too long ago._

_She also hoped that when he came home, he wasn't acting all funny again. When he was like that, he would talk all weird, he'd be stumbling all over the place, and he'd reek of something that smelled like death in a way._

_Her waiting was over when she heard the front door open downstairs. She hopped up and walked toward the stairs that lead down to the living room. There stood a man about 35 years of age. He had a short, but wavy hairstyle, black was the color of it. He was currently wearing his construction uniform. He worked as a construction worker for the Royal Woods Construction Company._

_And, unfortunately, her suspicions were correct. As soon as she saw him, he looked like he could barely stand. And that smell, oh god, that smell. She could smell it from up at the top of the stairs. _

"_Daddy?" Margo called you to him._

_Harley looked up at her. "Ssssssorrry H-Honey. Daaaaadddyy is tooooo tired n-now. He neeeeds bed." His voice was slurred from how insanely drunk he was. He must've come from that place again, she heard it was called a bar. Uncle Joe's was what it was called._

_She was about to say something, until she felt someone come up behind her. She looked up, and saw her mother, Jean, looking down at her husband. To say she was disgusted, or just flat out disappointed, would be an understatement. She just shook her head at him. This was the fifth time this week he came home like this. _

"_Margo." Jean said. "Why don't you go back to your room for a little bit. I need to speak with your father about something." She then started to walk down the steps toward Harley, who was trying to maintain his balance._

_Margo walked back to her room, before she heard a big slap. She guessed that Jean must've slapped Harley. Hard._

_She closed her door, but she could still hear, just barely, the argument that ensued between them. They had been doing this for weeks now. It was just non-stop fighting between the two._

_Hopefully, her Daddy will get better._

-/- _**End Flashback**_ -/-

It didn't get better. Harley's drinking got worse. He came home drunk almost all the time after that. It became the norm. Which was terrible.

Thankfully, her mother saw the writing on the wall. Because, about a month and a half after this, she divorced Harley. She also let him know that she was pregnant with Clare as well. So, he better find a job somewhere, he better find a way to get clean, or she was gonna sue him for not paying child support. Because, he lost his job at the construction company. Why? For showing up drunk, obviously.

Now, one would think that he would get all pissed off that his wife is leaving him with his kids. And that he'd get all violent and what not.

However, that wasn't the case here. He was, pretty much, heartbroken after Jean had made her decision. He also didn't know that she was pregnant either. He also knew that there would be no point in trying to talk her out of it. When her mind was made up, her mind was made up. He obviously knew that, seeing as how he was married to her for about 10 years.

He eventually did find a job. In Ohio of all places. So, he packed up all his stuff and moved away. Leaving Margo behind. Without really even saying goodbye to her. Or that he was even sorry for his actions.

He'd send a check through the mail every week. It'd be about 500 a month. A little over the average of what a normal child support paycheck is.

He still didn't go to any of Margo's games, he didn't send her a birthday card on her birthday, and he would barely call her or Jean. He hasn't even seen Clare at all.

That's what made Margo sick the most. It wasn't just the fact that he was a drunk, and probably still is, it's that he wouldn't even try to apologize to her or Jean. It's that he wouldn't try to at least do the littlest thing with his two daughters. He was a pathetic loser is what he was.

And Margo meant it when she said she didn't want anything to do with him. Why should she anyway? He was never there for her when she needed him the most. He only cared about getting drunk and partying with his friends. So, why should she care about him? Why should she care about someone who, obviously, doesn't care about her?

As all these thoughts were going through her head, she saw Cody walking on the other side of the street. He noticed her and ran over toward her. Of course, looking both ways before he did.

"Hey Margo. What's up?" Cody asked, as the two started walking together toward the Loud House.

She had a lot on her mind, but she didn't want to ruin everyone's nice time tonight. So, she said what a lot of people would say when they didn't want people to worry about them.

"I'm fine, Cody. How bout you?" Margo asked, trying not to sound as depressed as she felt.

"I'm alright." He said. They were silent for a little bit, before she started up another conversation.

"So, how have you and Lynn been doing?" Margo asked him.

"It's been great." Cody said. "I really like her. I'm glad Mr. Casagrande motivated me to tell her how I feel. Even though me and her were still humiliated in front of over 20,000 people."

Margo heard about that. Lynn told her everything that happened at that game. Thankfully, Cody and Lori made amends. He couldn't stay mad at his girlfriend's older sister. He just couldn't stay mad at anyone in general. Margo could tell that Cody was a really sweet kid. No wonder Lynn liked him so much.

"Well, I'm happy for you two. Though, if I find out that you hurt her in any way, I'll find you and drop kick you so hard, that you'll be wheelchair bound until you're thirty." Margo said.

"Noted. But, no need to worry. I'll never hurt Lynn. Hell, she could hurt me before you would even have a chance to make it mean something." Cody jokingly said.

"Yeah." Margo replied. "So, what's the plan?" She asked him.

"Well, you and I are gonna go pick up Lynn. Then, we're gonna go over to Jacob's house to pick him and Michael up. Derrick called me and said that he's getting a ride over there right now." Cody told her.

Margo nodded. "Okay. Polly called both me and Lynn. She's gonna get a ride too. I'm almost certain she's gonna take Rusty with her." She said. Cody nodded as well.

Then, Margo remembered something that Cody just said. "Wait? Did you say pick up both Jacob AND Michael?"

"Yeah." Cody said.

"As in, they live together?" Margo asked, looking confused.

"Yeah. He's lived with Jacob's Mom and Dad ever since the sixth grade." He told her.

Margo raised an eyebrow. "But, what about Michael's Mom and Dad? Why doesn't he live with them?" She asked.

All of a sudden, Cody's smile turned to a pretty depressing frown. That surprised Margo a little bit. She had never seen him look sad in the few months that she's known him.

"I'd rather not say. He doesn't like to talk about it." Cody said.

Margo looked perplexed. Michael, the arrogant son of a bitch that he is, doesn't like to talk about something involving his parents? Really?

-/- **Earlier at The Loud House **-/-

After Cody had went back home, Lynn went inside to prepare herself for her night out with her boyfriend and other friends. She was currently up in Lori and Leni's room, getting her hair done.

Her mind, however, was still patching on to something. Something that had been bugging her for months.

And that was her best friend, Margo Roberts.

The two eldest Loud siblings noticed the look on her face.

"Are you okay, Lynn? Are you nervous or something?" Leni asked.

Lynn shook her head. "No, I'm fine. It's just Margo I'm kinda worried about." She said.

"Why? What's wrong?" Lori asked.

"Well" Lynn started. "Margo wants a boyfriend, and I'm worried I'm making her feel jealous. I don't want to be a bad friend to her." She said to them.

Lori got into face level with Lynn. "Listen Lynn: If Margo thinks you're a bad friend just because you have a boyfriend and she doesn't, then SHE'S the bad friend. Not you." She told her.

"Yeah." Leni said. "Don't let her make you choose between them. That's what an even WORSE friend is."

Lynn put her left hand in her chin and sighed as Lori and Leni continued doing her hair.

"I totally get it, and I'd never let that happen." Lynn said. "It's just, I want to help her find someone. I don't like seeing her look so sad. I mean, she hasn't done what you two were implying. She told me she's happy for me. And that she'd be a bad friend if she didn't support me." She told them.

Lori and Leni smiled at that notion. They were glad that her best friend wasn't trying to make her choose between her and Cody. That would just break her heart.

Lynn continued talking. "I just feel like I'M a bad friend for not helping her. I want her to find someone who really cares about her, like Cody does with me." She blushed after saying all that.

Lori sighed. "I get it, Lynn. We all want to help our friends find that special someone. I mean, Leni literally tried match making her friend Miguel and that guy at the Panda Express at the Mall." She said.

Now Leni looked kinda bummed. "Yeah, that didn't work. I could've sworn I thought that guy was gay like Miguel. I really did." She said.

"It was an honest mistake, Leni. At least it's all done and over with." Lori told her, then turning back to Lynn. "But, just because you feel like you aren't helping your friend find her special someone, doesn't mean you are a bad friend. Hell, I say you're a good friend, because you care about your friends feelings. That's what makes a good friend." Lori said to her.

Lynn took in every word that her eldest sister had said. She was right. That's what being a good friend is. Not just being there for them when they need you the most, but caring about their feelings as well.

Leni put her hand on Lynn's shoulder. "Just do what you think is right, Lynn." She said. Lynn smiled, and grabbed her second eldest sisters hand.

"Thanks you two. I feel like I can really count on you guys." She said.

Lori and Leni just smiled and went back to doing Lynn's hair.

"Oh, I almost forgot the bow." Leni said, pulling out a red bow.

"NO!" Lynn said out loud, no pun intended, and ran away from the chair.

-/- **Earlier at the Anderson Household **-/-

Cody was combing his hair in the bathroom. He had to make sure he looked good for Lynn. After all, it was the first day of summer, and three months of them being free to do anything they pleased without having to worry about school.

As he applied the finishing touches, he heard an annoying, and whiny voice outside the door. He knew who it was.

"_Cody._" Holly whined. "Hurry up in there. I need to fix my hair."

"Just give me a sec, would ya?" Cody said sounding annoyed.

"My hair needs to look as smooth as possible. And I need the bathroom. I have a date tonight." She whined again.

"Just hang on." Cody said, again sounding annoyed. "And judging from your tone, I can already tell how your date is gonna go."

Holly didn't look too happy. "What did you say?" She called very crossly.

Cody just shrugged. "You heard me." He said.

Holly was now fuming.

-/- **Now at the Loud House **-/-

Margo and Cody knocked at the door. They fully expected Lynn to answer the door, and be ready to take off with them.

However, it wasn't Lynn who answered. It was Lola. The little pageant princess, who has a crush on Cody.

And, of course, when Lola saw Cody, her cheeks reddened. Her eyes twinkled. And her flirtatiousness began.

"Well, hello, Cody." Lola said with a smile on her face. (_Try to imagine her during the "Study Muffin" episode). _

Cody chuckled. "Hey Lola. How are you?" He said, while he patted her head. She giggled at that.

Margo also chuckled and shook her head at Lola's flirting with Cody. It was almost like when she flirted, to an unsuccessful result, with Jason all that time ago.

"So, hey, is Lynn ready yet?" Cody asked Lola.

Now, that didn't set well with Lola. She tried, unsuccessfully, to show that she wasn't jealous of Lynn's relationship with him. Of course, that didn't go unnoticed by Margo and Cody, the latter of which just kinda shook it off.

"Oh, she's just putting on the finishing touches with her hair with Lori and Leni." Lola said, while getting closer in his personal space.

"Say, do you have time, maybe, for another tea party with me?" Lola asked, sounding all sweet like.

As she said that, Lola's twin sister Lana, the little grease monkey of the Loud House, walked by and saw the flirtiness of Lola toward Cody.

Lana just rolled her eyes, and commented out loud, no pun intended, "Well that's pathetic."

Lola heard that, spun around fast, and just bore holes through Lana's face.

"What did you say, Lana?" Lola asked, sounding quite pissed off.

"Oh, what, can handle the truth that your flirting is stupid. Just like you." Lana said, with an arrogant tone.

Then, of course, Lola lunges at Lana, and a fight ensued between the two of them.

"_**I am gonna rip your hair out!"**_

"_**I'm gonna punch your lights out!"**_

"_**Shut up!"**_

"_**You shut up!" **_Was the things that were said between the twins during their little brawl.

Cody and Margo just looked unamused.

"They really are like Holly and Molly. Except less violent." Cody said.

As the fight ensued, Lori appeared from behind a corner from the dining room, and lifted Lana and Lola off the ground to separate them.

"Hello Cody. Hey Margo." Lori said, while holding the two glaring twins.

"Hey." They both said at the same time.

"Is Lynn ready?" Cody asked.

Just before Lori could answer that, that very person showed up at the top of the stairs, and walked down to greet them.

She high fived and chest bumped Margo, and greeted Cody with a kiss.

Lola didn't like that. Lana just giggled.

"You guys ready?" Lynn asked. They both nodded.

"Then let's go." She said, as they all walked out and headed toward Michael and Jacob's house.

"Remember, I'll pick you up at about 8." Lori called out to her.

"Yeah Yeah." Lynn said, waving her hand at her.

-/- **Walking Toward Jacob and Michael's Home **-/-

As the three of them walked onward, Lynn noticed Margo looking not too happy. Was she still so down about not having a boyfriend? After the conversation she had with Lori and Leni, she realized she needed to talk to her about this.

"Hey Cody." Lynn said, getting his attention. "Could you walk ahead of us? I need to talk with Margo about something. Private girl talk, ya know, huh?"

"Okay." Cody said, as he walked forward a bit faster to give them some privacy.

"What was that about?" Margo confusingly asked her.

"Cause somethings up with you." Lynn said. Margo just rolled her eyes and looked away from Lynn.

Lynn frowned and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, just listen to what I said last time. You're gonna find somebody, okay? Just tru-" She started to say, before Margo pushed her hand away.

"It's not about that this time, okay Lynn?" Margo said, sounding irritated.

"Well, what is it then?" Lynn asked, looking curious.

Margo didn't feel like talking, but she knew she could trust Lynn if she needed to talk about something really personal. She knew Lynn could keep a secret for her.

She rubbed her arm in shame. "I got a letter from Harley in the mail." She said, sounding bummed.

"Your Dad?" Lynn asked. Margo nodded.

"Well, what did it say? That he couldn't be there somewhere coming up?" Lynn asked.

Margo shook her head. "I didn't even open it. I just through it in the trash. Like I said to Mom, I don't want anything to do with that asshole." She said.

Lynn sighed. She knew about Margo's strained relationship with her father. She heard so many stories from Margo about how he was never there for her when she really needed him for shit. How much of a loser drunk he was.

And she also remembered one time, during the sixth grade, when she had a little, and that was putting it lightly, hope that he would come to her soccer game. He came to town one day for something. And she knew he was in town. She **ACTUALLY** thought that he would come. But, the truth was, he needed to borrow some money from an old friend of his to pay a few bills after one of the jobs he worked at in Ohio was on hard times, due to budget cuts.

She remembered Margo huddled in a corner somewhere in the locker room, and crying before the game. She remembered the tears down her friends face, and having to comfort her best friend. She remembered how awful she felt, knowing that she was gonna have to play with all that shit on her mind. That made Lynn not like Margo's father almost as much as Margo herself did.

"I'm sorry Margo." Lynn said, quickly bringing her in for a hug. That surprised Margo a little, but she did accept the hug from her.

They let go of each other. "Thanks Lynn. I guess I needed that." Margo said.

"No problem." Lynn said.

They walked faster to catch up with Cody, who was now just walking up toward the home of Jacob and Michael. They kinda raced each other a little catching up to him. It was fun for them.

They were now at the doorstep, where Cody rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, a teenage girl, who looked about the same age as Luna, answered the door. She had a decent figure to her. She had long, smooth red hair that flowed down to the back of her shoulders. Her eyes were as green as a shiny diamond. The clothes on her were a dark red dress shirt, which was accompanied by a red bow tie, and a light red skirt. (_Look at Brenda Rabbit from the "White Hare" episode as she's sitting down with all 25 of Warren's sisters. You'll see what I'm talking about._)

And when this girl saw Cody, Lynn and Margo, her face turned into a frown.

"Oh, it's the nerd. Come here to give us all a lecture we don't care about, huh Cory?" The girl asked.

After hearing that, Lynn wanted to give this girl a piece of her mind for insulting her boyfriend. Only she, his friends, and her friends could call Cody a nerd. I especially her. She was his girlfriend after all.

However, before she could do that, Cody put up an arm, shielding her from attacking in any way.

"I don't know Annie. Did you give your latest excuse about how you got fired from your recent job? Again?" Cody shot back at her.

Now that must've irked her. Yeah, Michael and Jacob told many stories about their family life to Cody and Derrick. And this must've been one of them.

Then, another girl appeared behind Annie. She was about the same age as Luan was, maybe a bit younger. This girl had a pretty slim figure to her. She had long blonde hair that was tied into a ponytail. Her eyes were that of a blue ocean with waves crashing into the shore, which also were behind a pair of glasses. And what she had on for clothing attire, was a yellow sun dress that went down to her knees.

She also had a frown on her face as well, only hers was directed at Annie. Not the three of them.

"Hey, leave them alone, Annie. They're just here to pick up Michael and Jacob." She said very crossly to her older sister.

Annie shot a look at her. "Mind your own business, Michelle." She said.

As an argument ensued between the two of them, Cody, Lynn and Margo all stepped inside. The house itself did look pretty decent. A nice decor, a tv in the living room, and even a fireplace. Oh, how Margo wished she had one of those.

Then, there was a loud "Ahem!" heard. Annie and Michelle stopped there argument when they saw who it was.

There stood a woman, around her 40's, with short red hair, that stopped at her neck, green eyes, and wore casual brown pants with a nice looking red dress shirt. And the look on her face was an annoyed one.

"Hi, Mrs. Donovan." Cody said, rather cheerfully, trying to look like anyone's dream houseguest.

It appeared to work, because she gave him a warm-hearted smile. "Hello Cody. And you two must be Lynn and Margo, I take it?" She asked them.

They both smiled and said "Hi" as well.

"Michael, Jacob, your friends are here." She called up to them.

Then, in no time at all, both of those boys walked downstairs to get ready. Michael even slid down the railing like nothing.

"Hey, hey. Ready you guys?" Michael asked.

Margo rolled her eyes at him. Of course, he just smirked.

"Remember, I'll pick you both up at around 8. Unless, you'd like to leave early, that is." Mrs. Donovan said.

"Okay, Mom." Jacob said.

"You got it, Aunt Diane." Michael said.

Annie shook her head at her cousin, or in this case adoptive brother, and just groaned softly.

"That Teen Center sounds lame. I have all my music I need on my iPhone." She said.

Michael turned to her and said, "Either that, or you're just scared to get turned down by a potential suitor. Oh wait, you've never had one."

Annie was now fuming, with Michelle snickering at her sister's major burn.

Diane just shook her head at her daughter and nephew/adoptive nephew's argument. Which, by the way, happened often.

"Anyway, see ya later." Jacob said as everyone walked out the door.

"Okay, you kids have fun. Bye now." Diane said in a cheerful tone.

-/- **Teen Center **-/-

Finally, all five of them had made it to the Teen Center. Polly and Derrick were already there, so they wouldn't have to wait on them.

The building on the outside looked really impressive. And they looked inside, where there appeared to be arcade games, pool, a soda bar, a stage where the karaoke would take place, and probably where a band or music person would sing if they were booked there that night, and a counter where they could order some food. It really looked like a lot of fun.

"This is gonna be good." Michael said.

Cody nodded. "Yeah, let's head in." He said.

They all agreed, and went inside to have fun.

**Author's Note: Yes, I know I haven't updated for a while. I had some other projects I was working on, and I got interested in some new things that kept me from writing. So, sorry bout that. But, here ya go. Anyway, if you like this chapter, make sure to like, comment, follow and favorite for future updates. Thank you all and goodnight everybody.**


	3. Chapter 3: Night at the Teen Center

**Chapter 3**

**Night at the Teen Center**

It had been about an hour and a half since the seven of them went inside the Royal Woods Teen Center. All of them were hanging out, and having a pretty good time.

Especially Lynn and Margo. Those two were currently in an intense game of pool hockey. They had been doing this for about a good 45 minutes. The score was now Lynn 15, Margo 14. And with the current game they were playing, Margo was in the lead against Lynn.

Who growled under her super competitive breath.

Margo shot a grin. "Looks like I'm catching up." She said, throwing the paddle up in the air and catching it.

Lynn threw back a grin of her own. "We'll see about that." She said, getting back to the game.

While that was going on, Polly and Derrick were trying their hand at Dance Dance Revolution. With Polly, to no one's surprise, dominating Derrick with her moves.

He looked quite flabbergasted. "Wow Polly. You're doing really well." He said, trying to step to the beat, and coming up short.

Polly, on the other hand, was making it look so incredibly easy. It was like she was a Dance Dance Psychic. She could step to the beat before it showed on the screen.

She gave a confident smile. "It's all in the motion, bro. The motion in the ocean, _if you weeellllee._" She said, surprisingly channeling "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes.

Derrick was impressed by her impression.

Meanwhile, Cody was trying his hand at the basketball hoop shot game. He saw how great Lynn was doing earlier, so he wanted to give it a try.

Well, let's just say he has a long way to go, before he could even get to **HALF **of Lynn's score.

Also, and lastly, Michael and Jacob were partners at a co-op Haunted House game. It was called "The House of Hell."

"_Quick, hit the one right there." _

"_Watch your left."_

"_Look out! Demon at 4:00!"_

Those were the many things that were shouted during the intense gaming session between them.

So, all in all, the seven of them were having a very fun time.

Now, they decided they needed a break. So, they went to the soda bar to get a drink. Amazingly, the soda cans here were only 75 cents.

"Man, I'm parched. That was an awesome game, eh Lynn?" Margo said to her best friend.

Lynn nodded. "You know it." She said, as they did a chest bump.

The seven of them all brought out their change, and bought a soda for each of them. Lynn got a Coke, Margo and Polly got a Sprite, Derrick got an Orange Crush, Cody and Michael got a Mountain Dew, and Jacob got a Dr. Pepper.

Cody was sitting in between Michael and Lynn, Derrick was at the end on the right with Margo sitting next to him, Polly was sitting next to Margo, and Jacob was on the end at the left, sitting next to his cousin, Michael.

"Man, this place is great. We should hang here more often." Polly said.

Cody shrugged. "I'm down with that." He said.

"Yeah. And I could school you even more at those basketball shots." Lynn said, teasing her boyfriend.

"Ha Ha. Funny, Lynn." Cody said back, teasing her as well.

Michael took a sip of his drink, and let out a sigh. "I'm okay with hanging here more often. This place is fuckin awesome." He said.

The seven of them continued their conversation, when Michael noticed that the stage was being set up for karaoke. The mic's, the lyric boxes, everything. He noticed this, and got interested very quickly.

"Oh, they're setting it up. I'm gonna go sign up." He said, leaving his seat and rushing over to the information desk.

Margo rolled her eyes. "I can't wait to see that asshole fail miserably." She said over to Jacob.

She expected him to agree with her, due to Jacob at times having to smack Michael upside the head whenever he got smart with someone. Like earlier when they left school.

However, she saw him give her a look that made her think otherwise. That was strange.

"Actually, Margo, not to be rude, but you're gonna be proven wrong. Michael is actually really good at singing. Music is one of his passions." Jacob said.

Lynn looked surprised. "Michael is into music? I didn't know that." She said.

"Yeah." Jacob said. "He's been into music, ever since he was like 7. And my Mom bought him a guitar for Christmas when he moved in with us 2 years ago."

"I heard something like that earlier from Cody. What happened to Michael's parents?" Margo asked.

Jacob, all of a quick sudden, got a really angry looking sneer on his face. Like, he instantly just got really pissed off for some reason.

That really surprised the girls. They hadn't seen Jacob with that type of look on his face ever since they first met him a few months ago. He always was so calm and down to earth. Never really showing any anger at anyone or anything. So, seeing him look the way he was right now, kinda shook them a little.

"I don't wanna talk about it." He said, very bluntly.

Margo was about to say something, but was motioned by Derrick that it was a pretty sore subject. So, she shouldn't try to convince him to talk about it.

Cody, on the other hand, just looked at Jacob, and Michael as well, with sympathy. Lynn saw this, and wrapped her arm around his with affection.

Jacob managed to calm himself down a bit, after taking a really big drink of his Dr. Pepper.

"Hey look." He said, pointing forward. "Michael's getting ready."

They looked, and saw Michael on the stage. With a confident smile on his face. Looking ready to entertain the audience.

"Hello everybody." Michael said to everybody at the Teen Center. There was boys and girls around his age, and even some that were in high school as well. All of which had Michael's attention.

"How's everybody doing tonight?" He asked them. They all just "wooed" at him. Like a random cheer.

"That's good. Because, I am gonna sing a song for all of you. I'm gonna sing "Just a Dream" by Nelly. Here we go." He said, which was followed by the music starting to play.

Michael was getting into the rhythm of the opening part of the song, slightly moving from side to side to the beat.

Margo just shook her head at him.

Then it began.

_Uhh, uhh, uhh_

_I was thinking 'bout her, thinking 'bout me_

_Thinking 'bout us, where we gon' be?_

_Opened my eyes, yeah_

_It was only just a dream_

_So I travel back, down that road_

_Will she come back? No one knows_

_I realize, yeah_

_It was only just a dream_

_I was at the top and now it's like I'm in the basement_

_Number one spot, now she found her a replacement_

_I swear now I can't take it_

_Knowing somebody's got my baby_

_And now you ain't around, baby I can't think_

_I shoulda put it down, shoulda got that ring_

_Cause I can still feel it in the air_

_See her pretty face, run my fingers through her hair_

_My love of my life_

_My shorty, my wife_

_She left me, I'm tight_

_Cause I knew that it just ain't right_

_Uhh, uhh, uhh_

_I was thinking 'bout her, thinking 'bout me_

_Thinking 'bout us, where we gon' be?_

_Opened my eyes, yeah_

_It was only just a dream_

_So I travel back, down that road_

_Will she come back? No one knows_

_I realize, yeah_

_It was only just a dream_

Jacob clapped his hands and cheered his cousin on. "Woo. Go Michael. Yeah." He applauded.

Cody and Derrick did as well. "Woooo." They cheered.

Polly got a big look of amazement on her face. "Woah! He's awesome!" She exclaimed.

However, Lynn and Margo just looked on with surprise. They couldn't believe that he could sing that well.

Michael sang like an angel. His voice was absolutely incredible. It was almost like listening to a future music legend one day.

_When I be ridin man I swear I see her face at every turn_

_Trying to get my Usher on but I can't let it Burn_

_And I just hope she know that she the only one I yearn - for_

_My woman, oh I miss her, when will I learn?_

_Didn't give her all my love, I guess now I got my payback_

_Now I'm in the club thinking all about my baby_

_Hey, she was so easy to love_

_But wait, I guess that love wasn't enough_

_I'm going through it every time that I'm alone_

_And now I'm missing, wishing she pick up the phone_

_But she made a decision that she wanted to move on_

_Cause I was wrong_

_Uhh, uhh, uhh_

_I was thinking 'bout her, thinking 'bout me_

_Thinking 'bout us, where we gon' be?_

_Opened my eyes, yeah_

_It was only just a dream_

_So I travel back, down that road_

_Will she come back? No one knows_

_I realize, yeah_

_It was only just a dream_

Jacob leaned over at Margo and said, "Told ya, didn't I?"

Margo just gave him a stern look, with a bit of a blush of embarrassment on her face.

Lynn giggled a little bit.

_If you ever loved somebody put your hands up_

_If you ever loved somebody put your hands up_

At this point, everybody in the Teen Center was cheering Michael on. They did put their hands up to go along with the song.

There were even some girls in the club, who were fawning over him.

_And now they're gone and you wishing you could give them everything_

_Everything (heyyy)_

_Said if you ever loved somebody put your hands up_

_If you ever loved somebody put your hands up_

_And now they're gone and you wishing you could give them everything_

_Uhh, uhh, uhh_

_I was thinking 'bout her, thinking 'bout me_

_Thinking 'bout us, where we gon' be?_

_Opened my eyes, yeah_

_It was only just a dream_

_So I travel back, down that road_

_Will she come back? No one knows_

_I realize, yeah_

_It was only just a drea__m_

As the song, came to an end, the people in the Teen Center clapped wildly for Michael. He bowed to all of them.

"Thank you, everybody. Woooh." He himself cheered, as he went off the stage, and rejoined his friends.

Jacob came over and gave him a bro hug. "That was awesome, Michael." He said, sounding excited.

Michael just shrugged, with a confident smile on his face. "Eh, it's no buggy. I coulda performed better." He said.

"Are you kidding?" Polly asked. "That was incredible."

"Yeah." Cody said.

"Awesome." Derrick chimed in as well.

Even Lynn clapped her hands for him as well. "Credit where it's due. Awesome voice you have, Michael. My sister Luna would be impressed by you." She said.

They all turned to Margo. Obviously, due to her little beef she had with Michael. She hated that she was proven wrong, as she rubbed her arm in embarrassment. Again, her cheeks blushing.

Michael smiled that smile again.

Margo just sighed. "I guess you were good, Michael. Whatever." She said, reluctantly admitting she was wrong.

He put on that smile again. "I knew it." He said, as he walked away to the arcade again.

"Hey Jacob. Want to go another round?" He called out to his cousin.

Jacob smirked. "Your on." He said, joining him.

Margo just grumbled at her defeat.

-/- **2 Hours Later **-/-

After they had done everything they had wanted to do, everyone left the Teen Center and proceeded to go home.

Derrick had asked for a lift home earlier, and a nice looking car showed up at the Teen Center. A good looking Corvette. Like in the movies.

"Well, if you guys wanna hang out again somewhere, let me know. See ya later." He said, shutting the back seat door to his car. It drove off.

The six of them then proceeded to walk home.

"Man, that car is nice. I'll bet his family has a lot of money." Polly said.

Jacob nodded. "They are. We've been to his house before. It's pretty nice. Maybe, whenever his family isn't busy, or us, we can all hang there together." He said to everyone.

"Sounds good to me." Margo said.

"Does he have a basketball court?" Lynn asked.

Cody nodded. "Yeah. It's a pretty decent size. You'd like it." He said.

"Just let us know, and we'll be happy to join." Lynn said.

After they're decision of where to hang next, they all walked to their designated homes.

After Michael and Jacob walked to their homes, they walked to Cody's home. Him and Lynn kissed each other good night, as he headed inside.

Lynn and Margo walked toward the Loud House next.

"Hey, call me sometime tomorrow, okay?" Lynn said.

Margo nodded. "Will do. Night Lynn." She said.

"Night Margo." Lynn said. They did their trademark chest bump to bid each other farewell.

Margo walked home alone, which was really only a few minutes away. She then walked inside, to see her little sister, Clare, with her pajamas on, and looking all sleepy eyed.

"**YAWN. **Hey sis." She asked, looking tired. Margo just smiled at her.

Then, their mother, Jean, came over and put her hand on Clare's back. "Come on you. Let's get to bed." She said, as she guided her youngest daughter to her room, so Clare could enjoy a good night's sleep.

Margo went to her bedroom, and went on her phone. As she looked through a few things a teen her age would do, Jean walked in and sat on the side of her bed.

"Margo, sweetie?" She said.

Margo looked up from her phone. "Yeah?" She said.

"Now, you know I don't mean to be nosy" She started. "But, after you left, I opened the letter your father sent you." She said.

Margo just frowned, and turned her head away. "I don't care what he says. I don't wanna see him ever again." She said, very bitterly.

"Well, just to let you know, he's moving back to Royal Woods in a few weeks." Jean told her.

Margo's eyes widened. "What?!" She said, sounding shocked.

**Author's Note: Here ya go. Third Chapter. Also, just a random thought I had today, but if any of you guys want, would you like to see a retelling of "The Nerd and The Jock", but from Cody's point of view? Cause, mostly, you saw in that story Lynn's point of view with her friends and her siblings. What would it have been like to see what Cody was doing, or thinking, during what Lynn was doing?**

**If you want to, or are just interested, let me know in the comments section. Also, if you like this story, comment about it as well. Don't forget to like, favorite and follow as well for future updates. Thank you all and goodnight everybody.**


	4. Chapter 4: Base Derby

**Summer of Change **

**Chapter 4**

**Base Derby**

**Author's Note: Now, before I begin my next chapter, I guess I should address the elephant in the room. Yes, I did watch the latest episode, Singled Out. And, for the record, I enjoyed it. Especially, Lainey and Alice. There the creators of this show go again. Showing diversity in a great way.**

**Now, you all are probably wondering if I'm gonna be including those characters, especially Elliot, in this story. Well, maybe yes and maybe no**

**See, I already had a plan in place when I was writing "The Nerd and The Jock". So, it's kinda like Nickelodeon snuck into my house and stole my idea from my brain, and made it their own. **

**But, to answer some questions, No. Elliot will NOT be in this story. I already have someone in mind for Margo. No disrespect to people who like him, it's just this is my story, and he won't be needed. However, stay tuned if you want to see any of the others from that episode. Consider this, like, a prequel to that episode, but in my own way. You may also see that I make some changes from that episode to coincide with my story. Know, that it is just for the story. Nothing else. Like I said, stay tuned.**

**So, that's what I have to say. Now, onto the story:**

After getting the news from her mother, Margo didn't really get a lot of sleep that night. She pretty much just laid in bed, confused out of her mind.

But, honestly, how could she get any sleep anyway? She just found out that her estranged father was gonna be moving back to Royal Woods in just a few weeks. After leaving her without saying goodbye. So, how could she get that all off her mind just like that?

She got out of bed, and went downstairs to get some breakfast. She saw Jean at the stove, cooking eggs, while also frying up some bacon. A classic type of breakfast.

She got a glass and a plate from one of the cupboards, and got the carton of OJ from the fridge.

"Morning Mom." Margo said, kinda sounding both groggy and upset.

She sat down and poured the OJ into her cup, put the plate in front of her, and waited for her breakfast.

Jean looked over at her daughter and smiled. "Morning sweetie. Do you want 2 or 3?" She asked, referring to the bacon.

Margo shrugged and said, "I'll go 3, I guess." Her voice sounding very nonchalant.

Jean noticed this behavior almost immediately. She knew her daughter very well enough to know when she was feeling bummed, or gloomy, or even flat out sad. She certainly was no fool.

She brought the pan over, and put the eggs and bacon on her plate.

"Thanks." Margo said, kinda silently.

Jean put the pan back on the stove, and sat down in the chair next to her.

"Look, Margo honey, I understand you're upset. Honestly, I didn't even see him coming back for a long time. And, if I had to guess, he probably got fired from his job over there. Like he did here. So, I get it." Jean said to her. Margo almost gave a chuckle during the firing part.

Jean put a hand on Margo's shoulder. "But, there was a reason why it was addressed to you. I should tell you this: When I read that letter, he also said he wants to talk with you. And he'd like to meet Clare, cause he never got to know her." She explained.

Margo just rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. He wants to see me. I'll believe that when I see it. I learned that the hard way a long time ago." She said, shaking her head.

"I understand if you don't want to talk with him." Jean said. "However, if he is serious, which I doubt, but if he is, then I think we should honor his request to see Clare."

"Oh, and what?" Margo said. "Give her all those same hopes to keep up, only for him to no-show? And leave her feeling heartbroken? Screw that."

Jean gave Margo a sad look. "Sweetie, I know you still aren't over that. But, Clare hasn't even met her father. I think it's only fair, if she wants, to see him. She has a right to meet him. And, despite how I feel about him, he has a right as well to see Clare. And you too, if you wanted." She explained.

"Well, if Clare wants to, fine. She can see him, if she wants. For me, I'd rather kiss the basement floor then see him." She said, looking like she was holding back tears.

Jean hugged her to help sooth the pain. That kinda worked, as not one tear ran down her face.

After that, Margo began to eat her breakfast. She was then joined by Clare, who was rubbing the sleepies out of her eyes. She gave a big yawn.

"Morning Mommy. Morning Big sis." She said, as she sat in the chair next Margo.

"Morning." Both Margo and Jean said at the same time. Jean then brought bacon and eggs over to her youngest daughter. She was thanked by her, and dove into it.

Margo looked over at Clare, eating her breakfast, and thought about the possibility of Harley wanting to see her, even though he never called or stopped in to see her after she was born. Harley, probably, gave as much of a shit about Clare as he did Margo. So, why would he now? It just sounded off to her.

Now, for as long as Margo has known her little sister, she was always so sweet, polite, and just a happy little girl. She worried what would happen if Clare actually DID want to meet Harley. And what would happen if she got her hopes up to meet up with him one day, or if she went to an event where she would be involved with, only for the unreliable son of a bitch to no-show, and leave her feeling completely heartbroken and crying.

Like what he did to her.

Margo swore, if that did happen to Clare, she would never forgive Harley for that. Granted, she still hadn't forgiven him for what he did to her a few years back, but that was just her. If he did that to her little sister, whom she loved very much, then that would be the most unforgivable thing of all.

And it was only the start of summer vacation for her.

**-/-**

After breakfast, Margo went outside to go shoot some hoops. She had gotten a basketball hoop when she was about 10 years old. And she was out there everyday for a good hour or two. She even imagined, at times, that she was at the All-Star games in the NBA.

After a good 45 minutes of that, Margo saw Lynn come up her driveway. Based on pure instinct, she threw the ball over to her.

"Wanna go a few rounds?" Margo asked, with a confident look on her face.

Lynn shot back a confident look of her own toward her. "Heh, sure, why not?" She said, now dribbling the basketball defensively from Margo, who was now defending Lynn from trying to get away from her.

Lynn spun around and managed to fake-out Margo, and shot the basketball in the air. Unfortunately, she missed the shot, and it now landed in Margo's hands.

"Heh." Lynn smirked. "Let's see ya try to keep the ball away from me." She said.

"Come at me." Margo said.

They proceeded to have a little basketball practice with each other. Good to get some work in now, before school starts up in three months. Obviously, both of them would be joining the basketball team. As well as every other team they could possibly try out for.

As their little practice went on, they started up a conversation with each other. They did this a lot. Both to train hard for their sports teams, and to catch up on things with each other. It was unique to say the least.

"So, what's up? I thought you wanted me to call you." Margo asked, while panting and having her back turned toward Lynn.

"Yeah, I know, but I wanted to know if you were down with going to the Burpin Burger tonight. This time, just you, me and Polly." She panted, as she spun again, which was accompanied by a spin from Margo. Now, the two were face to face with each other.

Margo huffed and puffed for a quick sec. "Sounds good to me. Where are we going before that? We usually do some kinda sporty related thing. And what about the guys?" She asked, as she threw the ball between Lynn's legs, and quickly snatched it, before Lynn could react.

Now, it was Lynn's turn to huff and puff. "We can go down to the park, and you can finally show me that "Base Derby" game you talked about. And Cody and the guys have got plans with their families. So, it'll be a gal's night out." She said, as she managed to get the ball away from Margo and shot it into the basket.

"Woohoo. Three points." Lynn cheered.

Margo just tried to catch her breath. Although, she was peeved about not noticing Lynn's spectacular grab. It was great.

"So, wanna go again?" Lynn asked.

"Sure." Margo smirked.

The two continued to play for about a good 20 minutes, before Lynn got a text on her phone.

"What's it say?" Margo asked.

"It's from Polly." Lynn said. "She says Lainey is gonna join us tonight. At the Burpin Burger."

"Is she gonna join us at the park, too?" Margo asked.

"Yep." Lynn said, which was followed by a smirk. "Although, I think the only reason she's joining us, is so she can see that girl who hangs out there."

Margo gave a grin now too. "You mean Alice?" She asked. Lynn nodded. The two of them gave a giggle at their friends crush.

After that, they went back to their round of basketball.

**-/- Later at the Park -/-**

Lynn, Margo, Polly, and Lainey all arrived at the park at about 4. So, it was still pretty light out. And was a really nice night to do what they were gonna do.

"So, what do we do for this "Base Derby" game, Polly?" Lynn asked.

Polly nodded. "Well, one of you throws the ball to me, or vise versa, I hit it with my bat, and then two of you have to try and catch it. You'll start at the outfield, and race your way to wherever the ball lands. When you have the ball in your hands, you have to try and blade at all the bases that I've marked. But, you gotta go around all of them. Two handed touch, or a tackle, means that the defender is out. When you make it to home plate, you win. Or get a point. Whichever works." She explained to everyone.

Lainey shrugged. "Eh, sounds simple. But fun." She said. For those who don't know, Lainey was around Lynn and Margo's age. She was on the roller derby team with all three of her gal pals. She has orange hair with 3 pairs of eyelashes with light blue eyeshadow, similar to Lori, and she also wore a pink shirt with stripes, a light blue skirt and black flats. So, it safe to assume that, even though she had some tomboyish qualities, like Lynn, Margo and Polly, she also had a bit of a feminine side to her as well.

"Yeah." Lynn said. "I'll go first. You wanna go up against me, Lainey?" She challenged.

"Heh." Lainey grinned. "You're on."

"I'll bat." Margo said.

Polly shrugged. "Guess I'm pitching. But, hey, I ain't bitching." She said, which got a laugh out of everyone.

So, Lynn and Lainey went all the way to the outfield. Both developed a must win look on their faces.

Polly threw the ball at Margo and she swung for the fences. There the ball went into the air. And when it did, Lynn and Lainey raced toward it.

The ball fell onto the grassy part where second base was. Lynn grabbed the ball first. She easily made it to home plate, but she got out before she hit first base to go around a second time.

"Gotcha." Lainey said.

"We've only just begun." Lynn said.

"Alright, who's next?" Polly asked.

Then, for the next hour or two, the four girls played their new game. They had a lot of fun. But, it was time, which was reminded of them by their rumbling stomachs, for them to get a Burpin Burger.

They all left the park, and walked over to that very place. Their mouths were watering to get a taste of the tastiest burger in all of Royal Woods.

"That was a lot of fun, girls. I'm glad you invited me, Polly." Lainey said.

"Eh, no biggy. Figured it be better to have at least one more person to make it even." She said, with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, and see you get all lovestruck when you look at Alice again." Lynn jokingly said.

Lainey instantly blushed in embarrassment. Yeah, the three of them, and almost everybody else on the roller derby team, knew that Lainey was a lesbian. She had come out to them just before school had gotten done with. And they all were supportive, or the very least cool, with it.

And everytime they would go to the Burpin Burger for a celebration after a win, Lainey would just stare at one of the regulars. Alice. Her older brother, James, worked there, and she would hang there sometimes to keep him company. Or, try and get a free burger.

And Lainey thought she was just the most beautiful girl she had ever seen.

Of course, this resulted in some teasing from them. Definitely out of love and friendship, never malicious.

"Is it really that obvious?" Lainey asked, still with a red hue on her face.

"Uh, yeah." Margo said. "You literally look like this."

Then Margo did an impression of Lainey being infatuated with this Alice. She made her eyes go half lidded, she put both her hands together in a fist, and gave a big in love sigh. She also purposely fell backwards, where Lynn caught her, and stood her back up.

"Thanks." Margo said.

"Anytime." Lynn said.

However, Lainey was still looking embarrassed. If her friends knew, then did Alice know? And if she did, did she think she was weird?

"Oh, this is bad. I don't wanna look like a weirdo in front of her." Lainey said, looking nervous.

"Oh, come on." Margo said, trying to console her. "Just go up and talk to her. She seems cool."

"I'm scared to, okay? She's just so pretty." Lainey said, now appearing to have hearts in her eyes, thinking about Alice very dreamily.

Then, as the four of them were just a few steps away from the Burpin Burger, they noticed Lainey still looking all dreamy like, with Alice on her mind. Like, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going.

This gave Polly an idea. Which, Lynn and Margo followed suit.

"Oh, well what else, do you like about her, Lainey?" Polly asked, looking jokingly at Lynn and Margo, who also were holding in their laughter.

"Well" Lainey continued "she's so nice, her hair is so smooth, her nose is cute, her smile is great, and-AAH!"

Her appraisal of her love interest was interrupted, due to her walking face first into a pole outside of the Burpin Burger.

Of course, Lynn, Margo, and Polly burst out into laughter. Their plan worked so easy. She didn't see it coming.

Lainey realized what her friends did, and just gave them an unamused look.

"Oh, haha, you three. That joke was so funny, I forgot to laugh." She said, standing up and brushing herself off.

The three were still laughing at her.

"Guess you gotta watch where you're going when you're thinking about the girl you like, huh?" Polly said, with a chuckle.

"Sorry Lainey, but that funny." Margo said.

Eventually, the four of them made it inside. And, as if that little prank by her friends wasn't bad enough, now Lainey's situation was gonna get really awkward.

There sat a girl at one of the booth's. She was around all four of the girls' she's. Maybe just a wee bit older then them. She was a dark-skinned girl with short black hair, who wore large hoop earrings that were similar to Leni's, except her's were yellow.

As soon as Lainey locked eyes with her, she felt her heart start beating, her cheeks flushing, her palms sweating slightly, and her mouth drying up. She wasn't kidding when she said that this girl was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen.

This was Alice.

She greeted the four of them with a heartwarming smile.

"Hello." She said to them. Lynn, Margo and Polly waived at her.

Lainey did the same, except she couldn't move. Her legs felt numb.

Thankfully, she had three friends that pushed her toward the counter where James was.

"Good evening, sir." Lynn greeted her. "I'll go with the double belcher, with some hot sauce."

"Make that two, but no hot sauce on mine." Margo said.

"Wimp." Lynn whispered out loud. Margo just rolled her eyes.

Polly giggled. "Make that three, no hot sauce, but extra cheese." She said.

"Make that four, but with extra pickles." Lainey quickly said.

James types in the order, and it rang up to 39.90. It was just enough for all of them.

They all sat next to each other at a booth. They were just a little bit closer to Alice's seat, who was on her phone doing whatever it was she was doing.

Lainey sighed in bliss, as their food had arrived.

"You really like her, don't cha?" Polly asked.

"Yeah." Lainey said, with a light laugh. She rubbed her arm again, before speaking to everyone.

"Hey, gals?" She said.

This got all their attention, as they all looked at her.

"Thanks for being supportive. I always thought I'd have to be in the closet to have friends like you. I was scared you guys would kick me off the team, if you found out I like girls. So, you know, thanks for that." Lainey told them all, blushing in embarrassment.

They all smiled. "Hey, whatever floats your boat." Polly said.

"Yeah, I mean, my sister is bi-sexual. So, I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't accept you too." Lynn said.

"You like whoever you like, Lainey. It's not our business." Margo said.

Then, as they were eating, Lainey then has a look of sadness on her face. Of course, that went unnoticed by nobody.

"What's up?" Margo asked.

Lainey sighed. "I just kinda wish my Dad was still alive, so I could tell him too." She said.

Lynn and Polly have a sympathetic look to her. They knew what she was talking about. Why she was sad.

See, about a year and a half ago, Lainey and the rest of her family suffered a horrible tragedy. Her father, Daniel, was involved in a fatal car accident. He was struck by a drunk driver who didn't stop at the stop lights, and went about 60 miles per hour, in a 25 mile zone. Dan was turning right, but his vision was obscured by a large delivery truck, attempting to turn left. The car that struck him completely nailed his driver side part of the car.

Thankfully, the guy in the truck saw everything, and immediately called 911. He ran over to where Dan's car was. He tried to help him, but he wasn't responding. He looked over at the other car, and saw that the guy who hit him opened his door, and fell out onto the ground. He saw a beer can fall out. He instantly knew that the guy was drunk driving.

_The fucking bastard_ is what he thought.

Paramedics did arrive on the scene. And, like the truck driver, they did everything they could to try and save him.

Unfortunately, it was no good. Dan was DOA on the way to the hospital. Only 35 years old, and an innocent victim.

Of course, when the family found out, they were all just devastated. There was crying, wailing, screaming, everything one would hear when they are shockingly grief stricken.

However, probably no one was more grief stricken then Lainey was. When she heard the news, she swore she could feel her heart shatter into so many pieces, she thought nobody would ever put them back together. Cause, she and her father were close. He would go to all of her roller derby games, and he would sometimes skate with her to help her practice.

Not to mention, he was so kind, cool, and just the greatest man in her life. Now he was gone. Leaving her, her mother, and her two siblings, older sister Jamie, and younger brother, Kevin, behind.

Thankfully, she had her friends, and obviously her family, that were there for her whenever she needed them. Whether to talk, to be a shoulder to cry on, or skate to get her mind off of him.

They were there for her a lot during that period. They could still tell Lainey wasn't entirely over her father's death. Granted, no one is ever "over" a death with someone so close to them. But, they could still tell it did kinda weigh on her mind. Not as much as before, but it was still there.

But what really weighed on her mind, was that Lainey was so confused about her sexuality before her father's death. She really didn't know if she really liked girls or if it was just a phase she was going through.

Then, she found out that it was true. And when she did, she became hesitant to try and tell him. Obviously, fear of rejection from him.

And when she started to gain confidence to try and tell him, that happened. And it just broke her. Knowing that he would never hear her say to him that "I'm a lesbian." And for her to never know if he would accept her like her friends do.

She eventually did come out to her family. And while her mother and her brother were accepting, Jamie took a little bit to warm up to it. She eventually did, and now everyone in the family was good.

Lynn put her hand on Lainey's hand. "Hey, I'm sure your Dad is proud of you, no matter who you like." She said.

Polly nodded. "Yeah. He's probably proud of you for coming out. He'd be supportive too." She said.

Lainey had a few tears in her eyes as she smiled. She quickly wiped them away.

Margo, after hearing that part about Lainey's deceased father, and with all that was going on with HER father, she started to feel bummed. And it showed.

"I'm sure your Dad would love you no matter what." Margo said, before leaning back with arms folded. "Unlike some people."

The three of them looked confused at her reaction.

"You okay, Margo?" Lynn asked.

Margo decided to tell them what was going on. No sense in keeping it a secret from them.

"Well, I just found out from my Mom, that Harley is moving back to Royal Woods in a couple weeks." She said to them.

Lynn groaned. "That loser is coming back?" She asked. Margo nodded.

Lainey and Polly looked uncomfortable now. They also knew about Margo's history with her father. They knew it wasn't pretty.

Lainey now felt bad. She forgot about Margo's history when she let her feelings out about her dead father. She didn't intend to make her friend remember.

"I'm sorry, Margo." Lainey said. "I didn't mean to-" She was interrupted by her.

"Don't even." Margo said. "It's not your fault. I'm just a little bummed that he's coming back after everything I went through."

"Yeah, it does suck." Lynn said, with an agreement from Polly.

"And what's worse, Mom said that Harley wants to "reconnect " with me. And "get to know" Clare." Margo said, using air quotes.

"Oh, yeah, NOW he wants to get to know you." Lynn said, with the same type of angry voice that Margo had.

"Yeah. And if that asshole hurts Clare, I'll hate him even more than I do now." Margo said.

Polly looked uncomfortable. She didn't know what to add. She was worried she might say something wrong, and piss her off. Might ruin their nice time.

However, Lainey didn't. She looked at Margo with a serious look on her face.

"You know, Margo, I get that you and your Dad are estranged. And, I don't know what you're going through." Lainey said.

"However, it's not to late to make amends. Your Dad is still alive. And because he is, and if he IS serious about he said, you might wanna here him out." She continued.

Margo did not look happy when she heard that.

"I already have him a chance one time. He wasn't there for the biggest game of my life. He was in town, and he could've stopped in. But no. He only cared about money to keep himself afloat." Margo ranted.

"I know. And you have that right to be mad at him." Lainey said.

"But, Mom always told me to never hold grudges. It just eats you up. It actually does more to you then the person you're hating." Lainey continued.

Lynn and Polly couldn't believe what they were hearing.

Margo just folded her arms again. "Maybe to you, but me, he'll have to do a lot to say "I'm sorry " to make me consider forgiving him. He's just a drunk." She said angrily.

Lainey gave a look of sympathy. "Well, I won't judge you, whatever you do. I'm just saying, I think what you're doing is not the healthiest idea. And I think you should talk with him." She said.

Margo didn't wanna talk about this anymore. "Can we just get back to eating? I don't wanna talk about this anymore." She said, taking a bite of her burger.

The other three looked sad. They felt so bad for Margo. Lainey's father maybe dead, but she had a great relationship with him before he died. And Polly and Lynn had pretty good relationships with theirs.

It was tough for kids who lived with single parents. Always wanting some type of relationship with, or living in hate and dismay of one of them, due to why the divorce happened in the first place.

Being from a broken home just sucked. And that's what they felt like for Margo. It sucked for her.

"Well, hey, at least you're not alone. I've always got your back. You know that, right?" Lynn asked. Margo nodded.

"Same with me." Polly said.

"Even though I don't agree with what you're doing, I'll always have your back too, Margo." Lainey said.

Margo smiled at them. She appreciated the support her friends gave her as well.

"Thanks you guys." Margo said.

After those few dramatic moments, they went back to their burgers. They eventually finished, and walked out.

They bid each other farewell, and all walked to their homes. Lynn and Margo did their chest bump, and said goodnight to each other.

As Margo walked home, she started to think about what Lainey said. Was it good for her to hold onto a grudge, like the one she's been holding for almost 6 years now?

She didn't know. What she did now though, was she was not looking forward to Harley coming home

It was sure to be a lot of drama. Something she tried to distance herself from.

And summer was literally just starting.

**Author's Note: Hope you guys liked this chapter. If you did, make sure to comment, like, favorite, and follow for future updates. Also, make sure to stay safe and healthy as well. #FuckCoronaVirus. Thank you all, and goodnight everybody.**


	5. Chapter 5: Memories

**Summer of Change **

**Chapter 5**

**Memories**

**-/- The Anderson Household -/-**

It was about 3 weeks after the Base Derby night at the Park. The girls, and the guys as well, had been doing things together, and with their own families as well, and all seemed to be going pretty good for them.

And as of right now, Lynn is in the living room of her boyfriend Cody's house. He was there as well, watching a basketball game. The Indiana Pacers against the Miami Heat.

Cody has his arm around Lynn, while she had her head buried into his neck.

"So, I take it the Pacers' year is gonna suck, huh?" Cody asked her.

"Well, the fact that they're 1-11 right now should say a lot." Lynn said.

"Also, and this may sound really fucking mean, but I don't think there has ever been a city of losers with losing tradition, unless you count Chicago." Cody said, with a grin.

Lynn chuckled. "Woah, sick insult." She said.

"Just look at Peyton Manning's career on the Colts. A choke artist when it came to the big shows. Just look at SuperBowl 48. Embarrassing." Cody commented.

Lynn chuckled. "Yeah. And the first SuperBowl he did win was against Rex Grossman. I wouldn't call that an accomplishment." She said.

Cody chuckled as well, and even planted a kiss on her forehead. Causing Lynn to giggle and blush.

As the game kept going, with the Pacers falling behind, Cody's mother Sara entered the room.

"That's all you two are doing, right?" Sara asked, looking at the two of them cuddling.

The two of them instantly backed away from each other, looking as embarrassed as ever. Well, more so for Cody on that.

"Mom." Cody whined. "We weren't doing anything." He said, looking red in the face.

Lynn was rubbing her arm. "Ehehehe, don't worry, Mrs. Anderson. I wouldn't do that." She said.

Sara gave a sly smile. "Well, it's good that you respect my first little boy so much." She said.

Cody put his hands on his face. "Mom." He whined again. Lynn giggled a little bit.

Sara did as well. "Anyway, the real reason I came in here, was because I just got done talking to your mother, Lynn." She said.

Now, it was her turn to look as embarrassed as Cody felt.

"Uh, what did she say?" Lynn asked.

"Well, she asked if me and her would get together for a picnic for the 4th of July. And I said, yes." Sara said, looking forward to it already.

"Oh, cool. Are we invited?" Lynn asked.

"Of course. And that's why I wanted to ask Cody if he would like to come as well?" Sara said.

Cody smiled. "Sure, Mom. That sounds great. And the others can probably meet Lynn's siblings too." He said.

"Great. I'll let her know." Sara said. "I'm gonna have to think about what to make. Guess I'll look through my cookbooks." She then went back to the kitchen.

When they made sure she was gone, Lynn snuggled back into Cody's neck, while he wrapped his arm around her body.

"Looks like Mom is gonna get crazy again." Cody said.

"What do you mean?" Lynn asked.

"Whenever she has to cook something for some big event, like a family reunion, or a potluck for work, or the family Christmas party with my Uncle Kevin, she gets crazy intense on how to cook it just right." He said, chuckling at the same time.

Lynn chuckled as well. "You should see my Dad whenever he cooks for something like that. He gets all emotional and stuff. It's kinda funny." She said.

"I guess I'm looking forward to that." Cody said.

"Yeah, and hopefully everyone gets along." Lynn said.

"I'm sure they will." Cody said.

They went back to the game. The Pacers did get a three pointer, but they were still getting their asses handed to them by The Heat. It was pretty much a one-sided game.

"So, how was last night?" Cody asked Lynn.

She almost didn't want to say, because of all the drama that went on with the conversations about Lainey and Margo's father's. However, she could trust Cody. After all, she didn't want to give off a vibe that she keeps secrets from him. She was worried she would come across as a bad girlfriend.

She sighed. "Well, Margo and Polly showed me and Lainey, she's on the roller derby team with me, how to do that Base Derby game last night. Then we went out to the Burpin Burger." She said.

Cody nodded.

"But, Lainey got a little emotional when she talked about her Dad." She said.

"Why?" Cody asked.

"Her Dad died in a car accident a year and a half ago. And she never got to come out of the closet to him. She's a lesbian." Lynn said.

Cody gave a sympathetic look. "Oh, that's rough." He said.

"Yeah." Lynn said, looking sad.

"My cousin Ricky had a similar thing. He's gay, and never told his brother Denny about it. It just devastated him." Cody said, now also looking sad.

"Yeah, but I kinda feel even worse for Margo." Lynn said.

"Is her Dad dead too?" Cody asked.

Lynn shook her head. "No, but him and her mom are divorced. He's an alcoholic loser. He never showed up for anything in her life. Birthdays, Soccer games, Christmas's, nothing. Him and Margo are completely estranged. She hates him." She said, kinda ranting.

Cody gave his sympathetic look again.

"Hell, I still remember that day. When he didn't show up for a soccer game that was really important to her. He was in town. He could have showed up and watched her play. But no. He had to borrow money from someone." Lynn angrily said.

**-/- Flashback to 2 Years Ago -/-**

_11 year old Lynn Loud, Jr went to go and search for her best friend, Margo Roberts. It was about half an hour till game time. They were going against the Wisconsin Wolves, who by the way, were 14-1 in their season. They had a great defense. Tremendous offense. And had some of the best teamwork any team could ask for._

_She noticed her friend went missing about 20 minutes ago. Now, normally, she would use this time to practice. And, given the team they were going against, she needed to practice as hard as she could. And some extra practice before the game wouldn't hurt either. _

_She went into the locker room. By that point, everyone had left, and was on the field doing squats, or stretches, or push-ups, curl-ups, crunches, anything to get them in great shape for the game. _

_When she entered the locker room, almost immediately, she heard crying. Soft sobs. Emotional hiccups. She followed the sounds, until she saw where they were coming from._

_She found her. But, oh boy, was she not prepared for what she found? _

_She found Margo huddled in a corner of one of the lockers. She was sitting on the ground, her knees up, and her head buried into her forearms, crying her poor little eyes out._

_"Margo?" Lynn said, getting her attention._

_Her cries stopped for a moment. She looked up at Lynn. "What are you doing?" She asked._

_Lynn knealt down in front of her. "I was worried about you. What's going on?" She asked, sounding genuinely concerned for her._

_Margo sniffled. "__My Dad isn't coming.__" She said, before her tears came down again._

_Lynn felt a surge of anger come through her. She heard about Margo's Dad coming back to town. She sa__w, __over the past few days, that Margo was getting even more excited for the game. Because, now her Dad could finally see her play. Something she always wanted._

_Now, he wasn't here. The fucking drunk piece of shit couldn't show up to support his daughter, who __just __wanted him to proud of her. To show how great she was at something. He couldn't show up for this one little fucking thing._

_As angry as Lynn felt, she still knew how important the game was. And now, this just made Lynn feel so sorry for Margo even more._

_She put a hand on Margo's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Margo. I'm so sorry." She said, bringing her friend into a hug. Margo returned it, with a sob to go with it._

_"Look, I know this sucks. I know. But, we need to focus. We're going against one of the toughest teams ever. We can't play with all this shit clouding our minds." Lynn said._

_Margo shuttered a little. Her cries and sobs did stop a little bit._

_"Please, Margo. I need you. The team needs you. It just won't be the same if we win without you. So, please. You have to focus." Lynn said to her. _

_She felt kinda guilty for saying all this. It just sounded like she was trying to get Margo to stay focused for something SHE wanted. Not because it was for the team. She felt really selfish. _

_Though, not as selfish as Harley Fucking Roberts._

_Margo stood up, wiped her face, took a breath, and said to Lynn, "Okay, Lynn. Let's do this." Her voice still emotional._

_Lynn nodded. "Okay. And hey, win or lose, how about you and I have a sleepover at your house tonight__? I__f it's okay with yours and my Mom of course. Help ya get your mind off this shit." She said._

_Margo smiled and hugged her. "Thanks Lynn. It sounds great." She said with a sniffle._

_Lynn hugged back, and the two left the locker room to go and play the game._

**-/- End of Flashback -/-**

Cody looked surprised. He had no idea that his girlfriend's best friend had such a bad relationship with her father.

"We lost the game. 25-13. We could've had those guys. If Margo didn't have all that shit on her mind, we would've won. Or at least, had their number." Lynn said, followed by an angry groan.

Cody put his hand on Lynn's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I can completely understand why she would have a bad relationship with him." He said.

Lynn's angry look turned into a bummed expression. "Yeah. I just don't understand why a parent would do that to their child. Why couldn't he have just showed up? Even if we didn't win, it still would've been one of the happiest nights of her life. How could he hurt her like that?" Lynn vented.

Cody gave Lynn a serious look. "I'm not condoning any of what her Dad did Lynn, and I mean this with all sincerity, but Margo, in a way, is kinda lucky." He said.

Lynn gave him a cross look. "And how is she lucky?" She asked him.

"Imagine if her Mom **DIDN'T **divorce him. And his drinking got even more worse than you made it out to be. Her Mom was smart to divorce him when she did. But, what if he started getting drunk and was angry? Anger and alcohol are not a good combination, Lynn." He explained himself to her.

Lynn was about to say something, but then thought about what he said. From what Margo told her over the years, Harley was NEVER a violent man. He would NEVER lay his hands on his wife or his daughter. Even when he was drunk.

However, sometimes drinking can bring out that type of inner rage. Even if you don't have it, when you were drunk, there could be a possibility that the slightest thing could set you off. No matter who you were. Wife, child, it didn't matter. Alcohol was like an open door to madness at times.

And Cody was definitely right about one thing: Jean was smart to see the writing on the wall so quickly. She was smart to divorce Harley when he was at his drinking worse. And she was a genius to divorce him before Clare was born. The potential things she would've seen if she didn't divorce him when she did, that would've scared the little thing for life.

Lynn rubbed her arm. "You're right about that." She said.

Cody nodded. "And some people could be worse off than Margo. Like what you said about Lainey. And-" He stopped himself.

"What?" Lynn asked.

Cody shook his head. "I can't. It's not my place to tell." He said.

Lynn grabbed his hands, and looked in his eyes. "You can trust me, Cody. I'm your girlfriend. You know you can, right?" She asked him, kinda giving him a gleaming look from her sparkling eyes.

Cody looked hesitant. He knew he could trust her. He did talk about some personal things with her. So, what could be wrong about this particular thing?

He gave a big sigh. "Promise you won't tell anyone?" He asked.

Lynn nodded.

"Not even Margo, Polly, Lainey, or anyone. I kinda promised the guys I wouldn't say anything. Okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, of course." Lynn said.

He sighed again. "It's Michael. His Dad-" He paused.

Lynn nodded, urging him to move one.

"-His Dad's in prison." He said.

Lynn felt a shudder in her spine. "What?"

He nodded. "I won't say why, cause I'd rather just leave it at that, but his Dad is in prison. And he has been ever since Michael was only like 2 years old." He said.

Lynn couldn't believe it. Michael Donovan, the most arrogant guy she has ever met so far in her life, has never known his father?

"And I'd rather not get into what happened with his Mom. But, from what I've heard from Jacob, he's strained with her as well. I think he's even more pissed off at them than Michael is. And I can understand why." He said.

Lynn frowned. So, Michael was estranged from BOTH of his parents? Now, she kinda knew why he lived with Jacob and his family. It was sad.

She snuggled into his arm, causing Cody to blush. "Hey, at least Michael has you and Jacob and Derrick. And me and the girls too. So, at least we're not alone. We all have each other." She let go of his arm, leaned up to his face, and kissed him on the lips. "And I have you." She said, snuggling back into his chest.

Cody smiled. "And I have you too. And I'm glad that I do." He said, wrapping his arm around her, and snuggling his head into hers.

The game came back from commercial. As that happened, footsteps were heard from behind. Cody took a quick peak, and saw who it was.

"Ooh, who's playing?" Said an energetic 9 year old boy, as he sat next to Cody and Lynn. It was Conner. Cody's little brother.

As Cody was about to say something to him for interrupting his and Lynn's alone time, he saw who it was playing.

"Oh, the Pacers and the Heat. Cool." He said, getting excited watching the game.

Lynn just giggled, while Cody rolled his eyes.

**-/- The Next Day at The Roberts Residence -/-**

Jean Roberts was in the kitchen, standing in front of the sink, which was filled with warm, soapy water, and dishes which were now being cleaned. She figured she could do this now, seeing as how Margo was out at the park with Clare.

She always preferred hand washing the dishes over buying an automatic dishwasher. One, buying one would be super expensive, and being a single mother, she couldn't afford it. Even with the child support money she got every week from her ex husband. Two, and this was the main one, she wanted to be sure the plates were spotless. Case sometimes dishes, after going through a cycle in the dishwasher, would still have a few stains or specks of food on them. She heard about from a few co-workers of hers. So, she figured time would be well worth spending doing this.

Speaking of husband, she remembered the look on her oldest daughters face when she mentioned that her father, whom she did NOT like very much, was moving back to town. And that he wanted to see her. She felt so bad for her. She knew she didn't want anything to do with her father.

Not after what he did to her. Not after how he broke her heart.

**-/- Flashback to 2 Years Ago -/-**

_Jean was in the kitchen, looking at the oven with the light on. She was cooking a pizza for her daughter and her best friend Lynn. They were having a sleepover. Something that was needed for both of them._

_They both were so bummed after their loss to the Wisconsin Wolves in that soccer game. She was at the game, and she could see the look on her face during and after the game. She knew why Margo didn't exactly play at her absolute best._

_Because someone decided to focus on borrowing money instead of showing up to see his daughter play. Even if he was invited. Even if he was given the address of her school. Even if he knew the time and date as to when the game was. He just didn't show up._

_Jean was so angry at her ex husband. She told him all the details about this game. And how much this game was REALLY important to her. And how much it would mean to her if he showed up. For once in his fucking life._

_She thought all those things as she walked up the stairs to Margo's room. She knew that the two were in there. When she saw that the door was creaked open very slightly, she tiptoed over to see if the two were talking about secretive things. Kinda like how she did when she was their age._

_However, when she got close, she didn't hear gossiping or laughing or even talking from Margo. What she heard was worse._

"_*__**Sob* *Sob***__" She peaked into the little crack in the door, and felt her heart crack. She just watched as Margo cried her eyes out onto Lynn's shoulder, while the latter had her arm wrapped around her in comfort. _

"_Hey...it's okay. It's alright. You did the best you could. We did the best we could. We'll get 'em next time. I know it." Lynn said, trying to sooth her best friend's saddened state. _

_Jean has to hold back her tears, as she told them, through the door, that the pizza would be ready in about 10 minutes._

**-/- End Flashback -/-**

She remembered after that whole deal, Margo completely focused on all the sports teams that she was on. The two main ones being Soccer and Baseball. She took all her sports crazy serious.

She also saw how closer and closer Margo and Lynn's friendship had become. The way they'd practice and train almost 24/7 for all the sports teams they were on. The way they'd challenge each other. The way they'd push each other to the absolute limit. It was like, in a way, the two had become sisters in spirit. They would do almost everything together. And that made Jean very happy. Granted, she thought that Lynn's superstitions were a bit ridiculous, but she knew she didn't mean any harm toward her daughter. In fact, she saw it made their friendship even stronger.

Jean, probably rightfully so, though that the reason Margo took her sports so serious after that, in a way, was not just because she loved them so much(Because she did), but she also thought that it was a way of sticking it to Harley. Like, she was telling him in her own way, or showing, that you are missing out on me one day becoming something. You are missing out on me one day becoming a sports star. You are missing out on me becoming someone.

Unlike you, who is nothing but a failure.

She was happy that Margo took her sports seriously, cause she was paying for them, but she also was worried if what she thought what she thought was true. And if it was, was it really the most healthy way of dealing with your problems? She certainly didn't think so.

As she continued to wash the dishes, she heard a knock at the door. She put down the dishes she was washing, dried her hands on the kitchen cloth right next to her, and walked to the door.

She walked through the living room, where the TV and couch were at(And had always been for however long they've lived here), and approached the door.

She opened it, and saw where the source of that knocking was coming from. And when she saw who it was, she just gave that source a cross and disappointed look. She knew she would see this source eventually. She just didn't think it would be so soon.

"What do you want?" She asked, sounding not to happy.

The source of which the knocking to Jean Roberts' home stood there in front of her. He was a little taller than her. He was two years older than her. He was decently built, not muscular, but not a skinny toothpick either. His hair was light brown(like Margo's) and was cut short. He had light green eyes, and a freshly shaved face. He was wearing dark brown jeans, had a black AC/DC shirt on, grey working shoes, and a dark brown coat.

He had a frown on his face. He knew Jean would give him this look. He thought he would be super prepared for this. He figured out right there, no one is ever ready when it comes to something like this.

He breathed in a big breathe of air before he spoke.

"Hello Jean. It's been a long time." The man said.

Jean continually gave him that disappointing look. "Not long enough, if you ask me, Harley." She said very bitterly.

He hung his head in shame. "Look, I know you're still mad at me. But, I really just came to talk." Harley said.

"I'm not giving you any money, Harley. That's all there is to it." She said.

He shook his head. "I'm not here for money. I promise. I swear I just wanna talk. That's it. So, may I please come in?" He asked, surprisingly, very polite and gentlemen like. That surprised Jean a little bit. But, she still kept that not so happy look on her face to show she meant business.

"Why should I?" She asked.

He paused for a moment. "Because you are the mother of my two kids. And you are my ex wife. So, I feel you should be the first to know why I'm back. And to just...let you know what I'm doing now." He said.

Jean still had a cross look on her face.

"Look, all I want it to talk. Then, after I'm done saying what I need to say, I'll leave. I promise." He said.

Jean closed her eyes while snorting through her nose, and shook her head.

"You will say what you need to say. Then, you get the hell out of my house. Got it?" She said, sounding as serious as she has ever been.

Harley nodded with a frown on his face.

"Good. Now come in." Jean said, inviting her ex husband into her, formerly their, home. She wondered what he had to say. It sounds like he was being sincere about it.

Though, this was Harley Roberts.

**-/- Royal Woods Cemetery -/-**

Lainey stood over her dead father's grave, which now had a bouquet of flowers on it. Her mother had bought them, and had asked her to take them there.

She gave a moment of silence for her father. She then touched the grave with her hand.

"I love you, Daddy." She said, with a few tears rolling down her face, as she walked away toward her home.

**Author's Note: Hey all. Sorry this is late, I've taken a few new interests during this whole COVID-19 debacle. But here ya go. Make sure to like, coment, follow and favorite for more updates. Thank you all, stay safe and healthy, #FuckCoronaVirus, and Goodnight everybody.**


	6. Chapter 6: Conversations

**Summer of Change**

**Chapter 6**

**Conversations **

Harley Roberts walked into his former home, taking in the sights and surroundings that were once a part of his life. He looked at the TV, where he would watch football games, baseball games, and a few other sorts. Those of which he would have a beer on him, and get drunk. Again and again and again. The thought now just made him sick.

He also looked up the stairs. He knew where his and Jean's room was. A place where he would drown out all his frustrations and exhaustions from working hard, by being with the woman he loved so much. A place where he would make love, instead of the flings he's had ever since the divorce.

He also knew his daughter Margo's room was up there too. He'd remember the times when she'd walk out of there and into his and Jean's old room, and want to stay with them, due to her having a bad dream. He remembered how cute she looked when she did that.

Now, him and his ex-wife were in the kitchen. He definitely remembered this. His wife's cooking. She could cook anything with the littlest of things. Whether it be putting all the leftovers in a dish and making a casserole, combining two types of sauces and mixing it with a type of meat, or making something out of scratch. Like pizza or waffles. His wife was truly an amazing cook.

She was an amazing woman. Who was once his….Until he fucked up. That's what depressed him the most. How could he have fucked his life up so bad?

He sat at the table, while Jean leaned onto the counter where the sink was. He could see the look on her face. And he knew she wasn't messing around.

"So, what is it? Why did you come here, Harley?" Jean asked.

"Well, before I do that, where's Margo and Clare?" He asked.

"At the park. Margo took her just a little bit ago. You know, kinda like how you used to do. Oh wait, no you didn't." Jean said very synically.

Harley frowned, giving a big sigh. "Okay. I deserve that. But, I'm glad you and I are here alone. I needed to talk with you first, before I talk with them. Just, you know, so you can be okay with me seeing them. You are the mother of my kids after all." He said.

"Well, if they want to see you, I'll let them. Because, regardless of how I feel about you, I do acknowledge that you are the father of the two most important people in my life. And, unless I get a court order, I can't stop you from seeing them." She told him. "But, I'm telling you right now Harley: Margo doesn't want anything to do with you. That letter that you sent to her, do you want to know what she did when she saw your name on it?"

Harley didn't answer. He already had a feeling of what she did.

"She threw it in that waste paper basket." Jean said, pointing at that very basket next to the stove. "And told me she doesn't want anything to do with you. So, I'm just telling you right now, you may just be wasting your time with her."

Harley looked sad. He knew his daughter must've had some ill feelings toward him after everything she went through.

"I guess I had a feeling she'd hate me." Harley said.

Jean just gave a large sigh through her nostrils. "You are so lucky Clare doesn't even know who you are. Cause if she did, she'd probably hate you too. Thankfully, she's the sweetest little girl I know. Hell, if I told her about us meeting, she'd definitely want to meet you." She said.

Harley sighed. "Okay. Now, the reason I came was…." He trailed off.

"What?" Jean asked sharply.

Harley reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a card, a business type card, and placed it on the table. It had a red coat, with white letters on it. It had a phone number, which was 1-513-756-6362. It had a website address, which said www.I' . That was also the title on the card. I'm Still Standing was written in big words. And underneath it, were smaller words, that said Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation Clinic.

As Jean took the card in her hands and studied it, she looked at her ex husband and asked, "When did this happen?"

"About a year and a half ago. I heard a story about some guy who got drunk behind the wheel, and killed some other guy. And, I saw in the obituary that he had a family. This family had their Daddy taken from them. And..." He trailed off again.

Jean had heard about that too. And the reason she did, was because that guy who was killed was the father of Margo's friend and roller derby teammate, Lainey Watson. She heard it was a drunk driver.

"...You know I've driven drunk before. Thankfully, I got pulled over. And I still thank you everyday for bailing me out. Frankly, I should've stayed in jail. Cause, I could've done what ended up happening to that poor guy." Harley told her.

"Yeah." Jean said, again very bitterly. "You cost me a bit of my money. **MY **money. You are so lucky that I did what I did."

Harley nodded, understanding that she wasn't too happy that she used her own money to bail him out when she didn't have too. Cause she didn't. She could've let him stay in jail, and then divorced him like she did. But, thankfully, Jean wasn't like that. She bailed him out, and **THEN **divorced him. To his face.

"After I read that, and I was still drinking at the time, I knew that it was making me worse. I wanted to stop feeling the pain of..." He stopped, and made himself not get choked up.

"The pain of what?" Jean asked, sounding like she actually did want to know.

"Me being a loser. A failure of a husband and father. Knowing that I ruined my relationship with you and Margo. An undependable piece of shit." He ranted on himself.

That surprised Jean, but she also did respect it. He's owned up to what he's done.

"Then, I realized at that moment...that I needed help. So, I found out about this rehab place through my job. I worked as a janitor at the post office. One of my co-workers told me about it, and I signed my name up." He said.

"And I've been sober for 8 months now. I haven't touched a drop of alcohol for that long. It, honestly, felt good that I was able to beat it. And, I've also signed up for therapy too. Dr. Lopez. She's really helped me deal with my depression and anxiety." He smiled a little, after having a constant frown on his face when he came to talk with his ex-wife.

Jean didn't want to admit it, but she was a little impressed. Harley owned up to what he did, and was able to say the one phrase nobody wants to say when they're at their absolute lowest point in life.

_I need help._

She actually smiled a little bit.

He noticed and smiled back. "Look Jean, I know it wasn't easy for you. Especially when you were pregnant with Clare. I admit it. I was a selfish son of a bitch. I took you for granted. And I took our kids for granted. And, if you don't want to forgive me for that, I accept it. Cause it was my own fault." He told her.

Her smile faded away, and her straight faced look returned. Showing, she meant business.

"But, I do want you to know, that I am truly sorry. I'm sorry for...for not being a good husband to you. And for not being a good father to Margo and Clare. I'm not asking you to forgive me. I just want you to know that I am a changed man. I'm sorry, Jean." He said, which was followed by a shudder. Like he was trying to hold back tears from coming down his face.

"Are you finished?" Jean asked. Harley nodded.

Jean leaned off the kitchen counter and sat in the chair next to her ex-husband.

"Now, let me tell **YOU **something, Harley." She said, sporting a light angry look on her face.

"Do you really think I'm mad because you hurt me?" She asked. He was silent.

"That's only a small tiny thing that gets to me. Yeah, I was hurt. I thought I met the man of my dreams when I met you, only to discover he was a drunk fuck. That's one thing." She ranted, again while he just let her vent.

"It's what you did too Margo. And the fact that you never called to at least talk with her or Clare. It's that you hurt Margo really badly, and that you are hurting Clare without her even knowing. That's what makes me mad at you the most." She said.

Harley hung his head in shame. "About that soccer game?" He asked.

"That game was important to her. She really wanted you to be there. And when you didn't show up, she cried her eyes out. At the game before it stated, from what Lynn told me, and after they lost. I saw my daughter crying into her best friends shoulder because she not only lost the biggest game of her life at that time, but because her own father couldn't give two shits about her. That's what she felt." Jean ranted, really getting closer to Harley's face. He backed away slightly.

"And it also doesn't help the fact that whenever Clare asks me who her Daddy is, I have to dance around the subject. How can I tell my 7 year old daughter, that her Dad is a former alcoholic? How do you think she would process that? Huh?" She asked him, sounding cross. He didn't answer, but he knew what it was.

She backed away into her chair again. "You don't think that bugs me? You don't think that's what gets to me? You can disappoint me, Harley. That doesn't bother me. But, when you hurt my two most important things in my life, that's what gets me. That is what makes me mad at you." She said, crossing her arms.

"That's why I'm a bit hesitant to believe you entirely. I look at you now, and I want to believe that you're a changed man. I want to believe that you're truthful in everything you say. But, you have to prove me." Jean said.

Harley nodded. "I will. Anytime you need me to watch them, or do something with them, I'm there. I'm gonna be. I promise." He said, looking as serious as he's ever been.

Jean nodded and stood up from her chair. "That's good to hear. But, like I said earlier, Margo will definitely say "No" to your offer. Clare, on the other hand, she might want to meet her Daddy." She said.

Harley stood up from his chair now as well. "I'm glad to hear that. Like I said, anytime." He said to her.

Jean nodded. "Now, would you please leave?" She asked, pointing to the door.

"Okay." Harley nodded and walked toward the door. He looked back, as his hand was on the doorknob, and said, "Thank You Jean. I'm glad we could talk." He turned the knob, which opened the door, and proceeded to walk out.

As he walked out, he quickly turned back after he heard Jean call him.

"If you ever have a plan to wanna spend some time with Clare, or possibly Margo, I'll try to make it work." She said to him, actually giving him a smile.

He gave it back, and waived goodbye to her.

As Jean saw Harley leave in his Ford pickup Truck, she only had one thought in her mind after everything that was said between her and her ex-husband.

_I hope I don't regret this._

-/- **2 Hours Later **-/-

Jean sat at the kitchen table with her two daughters, eating the dinner she had made for herself and them. Barbequed meatballs and Mac n Cheese. The sauce for the meatballs was made of chili sauce and grape jelly. An odd combination for a sauce type, but a very tasty one.

"Margo pushed me super high up on the swings, Mommy. It was super fun." Clare said very cheerfully, discussing her day at the park with her big sister.

Margo gave a confident smirk. "Well, when you're as strong as I am, what did you expect?" She said, as she ate another meatball, along with some Mac n Cheese to go with it.

Jean smiled. "Sounds like you two had fun." She said as she also ate another bite.

After she gulped down her meatball with Mac n Cheese, Margo remembered something that she was now gonna say.

"Oh, hey Mom, so, are you okay with me and everyone hanging out at Derrick's place tomorrow? He's got a big house and wants to show us around. Plus, he has a basketball court. I wanna try it out." Margo said, sounding excited.

"That's fine with me, sweetie." Jean said.

"Cool. Thanks." Margo said, as she picked up her plate, utensils, and glass (which used to have 2% Milk in it before she drank it all), walked over to the sink and put them into the left side, where her mother would wash them sometime later.

As she was about to head upstairs to her room, she was stopped by a call from Jean.

"Margo, sweetie?" Jean said, getting her attention.

She turned around to face her. "Yeah, what's up?" Margo asked.

_Here we go. _Jean thought in her head.

"Now, girls, I have something to tell you. And, Margo, it won't be easy for you to hear this." Jean said.

Margo gave a curious look.

"What's wrong Mommy?" Clare asked, also looking curious.

Jean gave a big sigh through her nostrils. "Your father showed up while you were at the park earlier." She said.

Margo now had a cross look on her face.

"What? Did he need to borrow money? Or did he run out of beer?" She sarcastically asked very angrily.

However, Clare still looked curious. "Our Daddy?" She asked.

Jean nodded. "Yes." She said.

After a brief moment of silence, Margo blurted out, "Well? Why did he show his drunk ass over here?"

Jean turned her head toward her with a cross look of her own. "Watch the language, young lady. Especially in front of Clare." She said, which just made Margo grumble in anger.

She sighed. "Well, he just wanted to talk to me. He explained what he's been up to these past few years-"

"-Like I care what he's up too." Margo interrupted.

"Sweetie, please, let me finish." Jean said, followed by another grumble from Margo.

"Your father says that anytime you want, he can make a schedule to hang out with you girls. And, I've given the okay to do that. Of course, if you girls want too, that is." Jean said.

"Well, you already know my answer. And it's no." Margo said, as she angrily walked upstairs to her room.

Jean heard her bedroom door close. It wasn't a slam, but it was a shut that gave off the impression that she wasn't happy right now. And probably didn't wish to be talked too. She gave a sigh. She knew that Margo wasn't gonna say Yes to spending time with her estranged father. But, she still needed to tell them to let them know about it though.

"Mommy?" Clare asked.

Jean turned to face her youngest daughter.

"Why is Margo mad?" She asked in what could be the most innocent voice ever heard by human ears.

Jean swore she felt her heart tug a little bit.

She quickly pulled herself together and told Clare, "Well, honey, your big sister had hers and your Daddy around when she was your age. And, well, let's just say your father had some problems that made him not be around for her all that much."

"Why?" Clare asked.

"You'll know someday when you're older. But, for now, let's just leave it at that. Please?" Jean asked.

"Okay, Mommy." Clare said, looking disappointed.

"So, do you want to meet your father?" Jean asked.

Clare was quiet for a bit. "But, if Margo is mad at Daddy, wouldn't she be madder if I met him?" She asked.

Jean paused. That actually was a good question. And Clare was not even 10 yet. Would Margo get mad if her little sister spent some time with her estranged father? Worse: would she be mad **AT **Clare? She didn't know. And that kind of scared her a little bit.

So, she gave an answer almost every mother would give their child when they asked something like that. Or close to it.

"Oh, I'm sure she wouldn't care. Your sister loves you. And she wouldn't keep you from doing something that you want to do." Jean said.

"Oh." Clare said.

Jean noticed the plate had been cleared of the food that was there not too long ago. So, she decided to use that as a way to get out of this difficult discussion with her.

"Why don't you think about it over a good night's sleep, honey?" She asked, while grabbing the plate and standing up from her chair.

Clare nodded. "Okay, Mommy." She said, while getting out of her chair, and walked toward the stairs that lead to her bedroom.

After Jean placed the dirty plate, silverware, and cup into the left side of the sink. She'll wash them later. Now, she needed to give someone a talking too.

And she knew it wasn't gonna be fun.

**-\\-**

After Jean had put her own dishes in the sink, tucked Clare into bed, and kissing her on her forehead to make sure she had good dreams tonight, she headed over to Margo's room to talk with her.

She knocked on her door (Just in case she accidentally walked in on something she didn't want to see), opened it, and saw Margo laying on her bed. She was laying in her side, with her back turned to the door.

Jean didn't need to see Margo's face to know that she wasn't too happy right now.

"Hey sweetie." Jean said, as she sat on the little open part of the mattress. She put a hand on Margo's shoulder as a source of comfort.

"Hey." Margo said rather nonchalantly.

"Listen sweetie, I know what you're feeling right now. We talked about this a few weeks ago. I get it." Jean said, still rubbing her daughter's shoulder.

Margo stood up to face her mother. "Then you should know that I'm never gonna spend time with him. I don't care if he wants to take me someplace I've always wanted to go. I'd rather be sick than be in his presence." She ranted.

"And what if Clare wants too?" Jean asked.

Margo folded her arms. "She'll see what he's like. I bet he's still a drunk loser like he was 10 years ago." She said.

Jean sighed again. "Well, honey, Harley told me that he's been sober for 8 months now. He even showed me his card. So, I don't think he drinks anymore." She said.

Margo rolled her eyes. "Pfft. Yeah, like I believe that." She said.

"Regardless" Jean said, getting Margo's attention. "If Clare wants too, do you promise to at least be okay with her decision if she does?"

Margo rolled her eyes. She knew her mother was serious right here. She sometimes hated that.

"Yeah, whatever." Margo grumbled.

"Thank you, honey." Jean said, hugging her daughter.

Jean and Margo said Goodnight to each other, as Margo turned off her light, and went to sleep.

_If that bastard hurts her, I'll make sure he never sees her again. _Margo thought, before she drifted off into slumber.

**-/- The Next Day -/-**

Margo left her house at around 11 AM to meet her gal pals and her new guy friends (sorta with Michael) at the park. From what Polly informed everyone, Derrick was gonna pick all of them up in a limousine. (Of course, he wasn't gonna drive, he was only 12 years old. He had a driver.)

She still had everything that occurred last night in her head. She couldn't believe that Harley had the nerve, the temerity, and, frankly, the balls to show up acting like he cared. She knew the only reason he came by was to make himself feel better. Not to truly mend fences.

Why couldn't he have just stayed in Ohio where he moved to in the first place? He moved there, in her mind, to be as far away from responsibility as possible. So, why couldn't he keep his drunk ass there at all times and away from her?

She knew she needed to try and forget about all this. She was gonna go to a friends house (or **BIG **house in this case) and she didn't want to come across like she was in a bad mood. She might give off a bad vibe as being a bitch.

Like she did a few months ago with Michael.

...?

Wait, why the hell did she just think that? That thought **LITERALLY **came out of nowhere. Why would she think that?

She shook her head to erase those thoughts. And, when she looked straight ahead, she saw Lynn and Polly up ahead. Lynn was doing push-ups, while Polly was skating around without a care in the world.

They saw her coming, and waived at her. "Hey Margo." They said.

She came up to them, and greeted them as well. "Hey girls. How ya doing?" She asked them.

Polly smiled. "Awesome. I heard that the basketball court has a track connected to it. Kinda like at the YMCA." She said.

Lynn nodded. "Yeah. And you and I could do a one on one match." She said to Margo.

Margo smirked. "Where I'll school you." She said.

"Oh, we'll see about that." Lynn said.

They waited about a minute or two longer, when they noticed the boys, Cody, Jacob and Michael, walking toward them now.

"Hey guys. What's up?" Jacob said.

They all greeted each other (Cody and Lynn hugged each other), even Michael and Margo acknowledged each other.

"So, what did you guys do last night?" Lynn asked Michael and Jacob.

Now, to anyone who has known Michael so far, it's become pretty fucking obvious that he's an arrogant son of a bitch. He's always sarcastic, always cracking jokes, and really loves to hear himself talk. And sing, as he's apparently really, really good at it.

He, also, is not shy when talking about things. So, one would think, that he would talk, in detail, about what he did last night with his cousin.

However, here and now, Michael just had his arms folded to his chest, leaning against the chain link fence that enclosed the park, and responded with a "Hmm." That was it. There was no sarcastic remark, no joke, and no in detail response from him.

This caused the girls to look at him with both surprise and concern a little bit. Even Margo was a little weirded out by his nonchalant response.

Jacob took one look at his cousin, then looked at the girls.

"Not much, just played some video games. We almost pulled an all nighter." He quickly said.

When he says that, it kinda came across like a random answer, instead of the truth. Like, he was hiding something.

Cody must've known something was going on, cause he had that sympathetic look on his face. Just before the girls wanted to ask why Michael wasn't being as responsive as he usually is, they saw a black limo pull up to the park.

The back door opened, and their they saw the well dressed, sweet hearted Derrick Henlinson. With a smile on his face.

"Hey guys, hop in. There's room for everybody." He said, waiving his hand as a sign to invite them in.

They didn't need to be told twice. The girls hopped in first. Then the boys. Michael and Jacob sat next to each other, along with Derrick at their side. Cody and Lynn sat next to each other, and Polly and Lynn day next to each other.

The limo looked amazing. The seats were nice, they had a cool stereo playing great music, and a mini soda bar with quite a few glasses.

Derrick put his finger on a button that was next to his seat, and spoke into it.

"David, take us back to my house, please." He said.

"Certainly, master Derrick." David the Driver said through the speaker, as he drove away from the park.

Derrick cringed. "I hate it when they call me master. It makes me feel weird." He said.

They all, including Michael to an extent, chuckled a bit as they made their way to the Henlinson mansion.

**Author's Note: Yes, I know this is very late. My depression, all this COVID-19 shit, and me being at work (I returned back in late April) have all just been a strain on me. But, I'm glad I got to write for all of you guys. You all are awesome, and I hope you all are doing okay with everything that's been going on.**

**Also, RIP George Floyd. Completely horrible about what happened to you, and let's just be glad that those "cops" (I wouldn't call them that, I'd just call them POS' with a badge and a gun), got the jail time they fucking deserve.**

**So, anyway, if you like this story, make sure to like, comment, favorite and follow for future updates. Thank you all and goodnight everybody.**


	7. Chapter 7: Reveals & Realizations Part 1

**Chapter 7**

**Reveals and Realizations ****Part 1**

When the limousine pulled up to Derrick's mansion, the others stared in awe.

The place kinda looked exactly like what a mansion would look in a movie. There was a big black gate that had the Henlinson name engraved on the top of it, there was a few hedge animals around the very large, well mowed lawn (consisting of a dog, a lion, a ram, a turtle, and a rabbit, which were being clipped by what appeared to be a hired hedge trimmer), a circular driveway with a fountain in the middle, and a tremendous view of the hills that reached far from the house.

As far as the house itself, it was a two story house that appeared to have multiple rooms, given how many windows were up on the top floor. The windows themselves looked nice. Like, someone knew how to make them stand out to someone who either walked, jogged, ran, or drove by and make them think _"Man, that house looks incredible. I wish I lived there." _

If they thought the house looked amazing on the outside, wait till they saw what awaited them on the inside.

They all walked out of the limousine, and just stared in awe. The girls stared in awe more so then the boys did, because the boys had been here before. The girls hadn't. Though, the boys still couldn't help but be amazed at how huge a house this was.

And how lucky their friend was for being able to live here.

Lynn took in a breath. "This place is amazing." She said, standing next to Cody.

"Yeah. I've never been inside a mansion before. This is gonna be so cool." Polly said, with excitement in her voice.

Margo smiled, followed by a slight twinkle in her eye. "Derrick, how do you live in this luxury?" She asked him.

Derrick rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well, my Dad owns the Henlinson Hotel franchise. He bought it back in like 1995. So, I guess I was just lucky to be born in a wealthy family." He said.

As the two were talking, a very well built muscular man, who looked to be around his late thirties or early forties, walked up to everyone. The girls assumed this guy must be the butler.

"Good afternoon Master Derrick. I trust the ride over here went well?" He asked.

Derrick nodded. "Yes Jim. It was fine. Thank you." He said.

Jim looked over at everybody else. "And Masters Cody, Jacob and Michael, nice to see you all again." He greeted them.

"Thank you." They all said at the same time.

He then looked over at the girls. "And who might you three be?" He asked them.

Derrick pointed at each of the girls as a way to introduce them one by one.

He first pointed at Lynn. "That's Lynn. She's Cody's girlfriend." He said. The two blushed at the statement as they held each other's hands.

Next, he pointed at Margo. "That's Margo." He said.

"Hello." Margo replies.

Then, he pointed at Polly. "And that's Polly." He said.

"What's up, big man? Yowzer's, you look like you bench 600 lbs a day." Polly said

Jim smiles at the compliment. "Why thank you, Miss Polly." He said, before turning to the other two girls.

"Please come inside. I assure you, Master Derrick here has a lot to show you." He said, as he lead them to the front door.

They took a look at the front doors of the mansion. Even those looked like what they see in a movie. They were just waiting for them to open, and then see the cleaning lady, or maid as they were called, the other butlers, the chefs, and whoever else works in a mansion to sing a big song about how great life in a mansion is, like in a broadway musical.

Or, at the very least, offer them a free pizza. Or ice cream cone. Or even a freaking coffee for crying out loud.

That didn't happen, but when the doors opened, it was still a marvelous sight to behold.

As the seven of them walked inside, they looked to their left and saw a huge fireplace with a nice couch next to it. Perfect spot to relax and read a good book. Or just warm up in case you felt cold in the winter.

They looked to their right and saw the Dining Room. With a table that extended about 10 ft in length. A great place for multiple guests. Whether it be now in the case with Derrick and his six friends, or if Mr. Henlinson had a meeting held at his house, and he offered them a nice dinner in the process. Either way, it looked awesome.

Next, they looked straight ahead. It was one of those double staircases that lead upstairs. Where people would come and go everyday. Thankfully, the stairs were carpeted. So, in case they fell, there was little chance of a super serious injury. Maybe a bruising, but nothing too bad.

"I'm thinking I'm gonna be saying "Wow" a lot looking around this place." Lynn said, while holding hands with Cody.

"Yeah." Derrick replied. "Well, come on guys. Let me show you around." He said, waving his right hand to lead them in his direction.

Just before they took off, Jim the Butler stopped them.

"Uh, Master Derrick, before you show your friends around, I should let you know that your parents will be staying at the Marriott Bonvoy in New York. They told me they should come home in about 4 days." He said.

Derrick nodded. "Okay Jim." He said.

"And, your father also told me that he'll call you later on today." Jim also said.

"Thank you." Derrick said, as he walked away with all his friends.

When they walked off, one of the maids came up to Jim the Butler. She was of Mexican descent. Around her late 20's. Had a pretty decent figure to her. Short scarlet hair with a lighter red shade for her eye color.

"I really hope those kids are ACTUALLY friends to Master Derrick. Unlike those last little shitheads." She said to him.

Jim sighed. "I'm sure they are, Camille. But, I still hope we don't get a situation like what you just said." He told her.

"Yes." She said. "I do too."

**-/- With The Gang -/-**

Derrick had spent the last hour, maybe less than that, showing his friends all of the rooms in his mansion. He was giving them the main tour, as someone would in a big place like this.

One of the first places he showed them, was the kitchen. It was a pretty big looking one, with a well working airconditioner for the cook, or chefs in this case, just on the off chance the heat becomes to much for them. This was understandable. As two of the cooks(there were 20 in total, but only 7 on shift as of right now)were women around the age of their early to mid forties. An age where menopause would kick in. Working in a kitchen, while having hot flashes, were such a bitch to deal with.

This kitchen had everything. A huge stove, several burners to boil water, a walk-in freezer to store frozen goods, a walk-in refrigerator to store cold products that weren't meant to be frozen, rows of cutting knives(several different ones at that; Lynn didn't even think her Dad knew there were more kinds than what he used. But, he might've), and so many cupboards filled with plates, cups, utensils, and other types of items used for cooking.

Lynn swore her Dad might've cried if he saw this kitchen. Heh. With how much of an emotional crybaby he could be, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

"Man, I bet those cooks could make a great pizza, huh?" Polly asked.

Derrick nodded. "Yeah. Especially, Dolores. She's probably the best cook who works here."

Another room he showed them, was the library. Which was exactly what Derrick described it as. Bookshelves upon bookshelves of books, comic books, tapes for audio books, magazines. Stuff you would see in the library in town. It was incredible.

"Damn. Look at all these." Lynn said, as she picked up a book. It was a biography of Lou Gehrig. One of the most famous baseball players who ever lived.

"Yeah." Cody said, looking at a Stephen King book, his favorite author of all time. It was The Dead Zone.

After that, Derrick continued to show them a few other rooms in the very large home. The awning on the far end of the hallway which showed a magnificent view of the wilderness near the mansion. Then, there was his own room which had a few gaming systems, a few nice looking flat screen HDTV's, a large bed that could fit three people, pictures of him and his family at big events(sporting or charitable), and his own bathroom. That was awesome that he didn't have to share a bathroom with anybody else, Lynn thought.

As far as the other rooms, there was the laundry room where the maids would iron and wash the clothing's and sheets and blankets and every piece of fabric made to wash. There were two custodian closest's (one for upstairs and one for down), which also looked really well organized and clean, unlike most custodian closest's at most businesses.

They also came across the master bedroom, that being Mr and Mrs Henlinson's room. There was also Mr. Henlinson's office, where he would go over everything an owner would do when he owns a big business like the hotel business. Margo honestly felt it looked like the President's office in the White House.

So, after all that, next came the basketball court. Margo and Lynn could barely contain their excitement.

"I take it you two aren't gonna hold back, are you?" Cody asked, still holding hands with Lynn.

"How well do you know me?" Lynn asked cheekily. Margo giggled.

Derrick smiled. "You guys can play as much as you can. I have a few basketballs on the court. So, go nuts." He said.

As they walked through the Henlinson corridor, everyone had noticed that Michael wasn't really as talkative as he usually is. In fact, he pretty much hasn't said a thing ever since they arrived at the mansion.

The girls noticed it the most. As they walked, they just saw him have this straight look on his face. Like, he just didn't have anything to say. He was just going through the motions.

Like something was bugging him.

They could also tell that Jacob was keeping something in. Like, he was keeping a secret that he wanted to let out, but couldn't out of some fear of something. Or something like it.

Lynn even saw that Cody was keeping something in too. And even Polly saw it with Derrick as well.

Were the boys hiding something from the girls? Did something happen last night?

Their thoughts vanished for a quick second when they approached a glass door, which was connected to a glass window as well. It looked exactly like what someone would see at the YMCA.

Derrick opened the door, and let everyone in. It was a beautiful looking court. The floors were so clear, you could see your reflection in them. They must've been refurbished not too long ago.

He then went into a closet near one of the basketball hoops and threw out a few basketballs to Lynn and Margo. Lynn grabbed one of them, started to dribble it, and then gave Margo the old stink eye.

"Wanna go a few rounds?" Lynn asked, remembering that Margo asked her that a few weeks ago at her house.

Margo gave a smirk. "Sure, why not?" She said, also remembering Lynn's answer at her house that day.

As the two of them started to go at it, Derrick escorted Polly upstairs to where the tracks were, so she could practice her roller skating.

"Oh yeah, this is perfect. Thanks for letting me use it. You're awesome, Derrick." Polly said before taking off around the track.

After Polly raced off, Derrick heard his cell phone go off. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID.

It said Dad on it. It was a FaceTime chat.

"I'll be right back guys. I gotta take this." Derrick said. Cody and Derrick motioned for him to do just that, while Michael just kinda shrugged.

As Derrick walked off, Cody looked at both Jacob and Michael with that sympathetic look he would have whenever he knew that something bad was going on.

"You guys have been pretty quiet today." He said.

Jacob scoffed, while Michael just rolled his eyes. "Well, what do you expect? You know what happened last night." He said.

Cody sighed sadly. "You know what that guy said was bullshit, right? Don't let it get to you." He said, now turning to Michael.

"Especially you, man. That guy didn't know what he was talking about. He was just being a piece of shit."

Michael just shook his head. "I need some alone time." He said, as he walked away to go explore more of Derrick Henlinson's mansion.

Cody gave that sad sigh again. "I wish he would open up to us." He said.

Jacob just shook his head. "Can you blame him? After what my fucking asshole, dumbshit Uncle did?" He asked, sounding angry.

"No." Cody shook his head. "I don't blame him. But, it would probably make him feel better if he opened up about him more to us." He said.

"Yeah, well, they'd probably judge him like that fucker last night. And me too." Jacob said, still sounding bitter.

Cody gave him a cross look. "Come on, you know that's not true. Lynn, Margo and Polly are good people. They wouldn't care." He said.

Now, it was Jacob's turn to look cross. "Oh Really? You don't think that they'd give him and me looks like that fat bastard last night? Come on Cody. Like I said, after what **HE **did? You don't think people will think "like father, like son"? Huh? What makes you think that?" He said.

Cody looked uncomfortable now. He knew he was gonna tell him, or at least one of his friends, sooner or later. But not the night after he did it.

He sighed. "Because I told Lynn that he's in jail." He said.

Jacob looked mad now. "You what?" He asked.

"I didn't tell her what he did, I just told her he's been in jail since Michael was 2. That's it." Cody said, attempting to calm his friend down.

Now, Jacob just had his arms folded at him. "You know we agreed never to talk about that. For Michael's sake." He said, sounding angry.

"Oh, come on Jacob." Cody said with his arms raised out at his sides. "Lynn's my girlfriend. I can trust her. And we've been friends with her friends for a while now too. We can trust them. We can tell them." He said.

"Tell us what?" A familiar voice came from behind Cody.

That voice came from Margo. She, Lynn, and Polly were now outside of the basketball court, standing in front of them.

Cody groaned as he slapped himself in the head. While, Jacob just grunted very crossly.

"What are you guys doing out here? Don't you still wanna shoot some hoops?" Jacob asked.

"Well, we were, but then I saw you two arguing, and I told Margo and Polly here, so we wanted to come and break you guys up." Lynn said.

Cody rubbed his arm in embarrassment. His girlfriend saw him and one of his best friends arguing? Ugh, he never wanted that to happen.

"Hey, where are Michael and Derrick?" Margo asked.

"Derrick is doing a FaceTime chat with his Dad, and Michael just wanted to be alone." Jacob said.

This caused the girls to look surprised.

"Is he okay?" Polly asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

Cody gave ANOTHER sad sigh. "Not really." He said.

Lynn came over and hugged her boyfriend. "Hey, what's going on? What's wrong?" She asked.

Cody looked over at Jacob, who now just had his back turned to everyone. But, even if his back was turned, they could tell that he was feeling...well, all types of things.

Sad. Mad. Confused. Frustrated. And Hurt.

Cody let go of Lynn's hug, walked over to Jacob, and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. As Jacob turned his head, everyone else noticed that he had a small tear in his right eye. He quickly wiped it away.

This time Margo and Polly came over, with Polly hugging Jacob. He was surprised at this, but accepted it.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Margo asked.

Jacob looked at Cody. "You know we—" He started to say, before being cut off by another familiar voice coming to them.

It was Derrick. As he walked back to where everyone was, he started to look confused.

"What's going on here?" He asked.

"It's about what happened last night with Jacob and Michael." Cody said, looking sad.

Derrick gave his own sad face now. "Oh." He could only say.

Everyone was silent for a minute, before Jacob replied "Well, I guess you girls would've found out eventually. I guess it's a good thing you're all hearing it from us."

"Found out what?" Lynn asked, while holding Cody's hand.

"That Michael's Dad is a fucking murderer." Jacob said.

The girls let out a huge gasp after he said that.

**-/- Outside with Michael -/- **

After Michael had walked away, he was now outside where the field surrounding the mansion was. It was well cut, and he had a great view of the rest of the field was.

He sat down on a bench in front of the field. He just sat there to clear his head. Clear his head after everything that had happened last night.

"_**You'll probably be just like him. After all, you know the old saying: Like Father, Like Son."**_

Michael just closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Inhale...and exhale.

**-/- Back Inside with Everybody Else -/-**

The room now had a huge chill in the air. That chill which now ran down the spines of Lynn, Margo and Polly.

"W-W-What?" Margo asked, sounding genuinely shocked.

"Are you serious?" Lynn asked Cody. He nodded his head with a sad frown on his face.

"You guys ever hear of a guy named Mike Pengel, Jr.?" Jacob asked.

The girls tried to think for a quick moment before Polly spoke.

"Are you talking about that guy who raped and murdered like 4 women?" She asked.

"Yep." Jacob answered sounding angry.

"S-So, Michael is-" Polly started before Jacob finished.

"Yep. Michael Donovan is really Michael Pengel III. And Mike Pengel, Jr. is my uncle. My Mom's younger brother. And my bitch of an aunt just up and left Michael 2 years ago. She basically told him over the phone "I know I'm your mother, but I'm abandoning you Michael." Shows how fucked up the family is." Jacob said.

The girls just looked shook. Lynn hugged Cody's arm, which he responded by wrapping his own arms around hers in a hug. He kissed her for comfort. Polly put her hand on Derrick and Jacob's shoulders as a source of comfort.

Margo, on the other hand, just stared at the floor on discomfort. She just couldn't believe it. A boy she had known for a while now, someone she had arguments with a lot, someone who came across as an arrogant son of a bitch, someone who was so full of himself...

...was actually related to one of the biggest woman killers in the state of Michigan?

No one spoke for a while before Polly asked, "So, what happened last night?"

Jacob gave his own sad sigh.

**-/- Flashback-Last Night-Stop N Go Gas Station -/-**

_Jacob and Michael were give the permission by Jacob's Mother, and Michael's Aunt Diane, to go and get a couple soda's from down the block. Tonight, they were showing "The Shining" by Stanley Kubrick. One of their all time favorite horror movies. And movies in general._

_They were getting their soda's (Michael got a Mountain Dew, while Jacob got a Cherry Coke), their popcorn bags (They were only 0.99€. A nice steal.), their candy (They both for a bag of Skittles.), and even bought a nice Royal Woods hat. Needless to say, they were ready for their movie night. Even though they had seen it quite a lot._

_Once they had gotten all their stuff, they stood waiting in line. Their were about 5 people ahead of them. And there was only 1 cashier. Either A, the others were busy making food for the Hot Grill, or B, she was the only one on shift. At least, until help arrived in an hour when another employee showed up._

"_Well, here we go again." Jacob said._

"_Yeah. I always get excited whenever The Shining is on. The best horror movie of all time." Michael said, sounding confident. Like he always is._

"_Damn right, bro. That axe scene will ALWAYS get me. And I've seen it a bunch of times already." Jacob said._

"_Well, it's Jack Nicholson man." Michael said._

_As the two were talking, a man, who looked about in his late 40's, came in line behind Jacob and Michael. The boys stood there for a few more seconds before realizing that the man standing behind them was not staring up at the counter..._

_...but right at them. This made them feel uncomfortable for obvious reasons. Was this guy getting off on looking at these two young boys? _

"_Hey you." The man said. The boys didn't turn around. They pretended to ignore him._

"_I said, hey you. Look at me." The man said. The boys still just didn't acknowledge him._

_That was until the man did something that, in any other normal circumstance, would make the boys call out "RAPE!", if this ever happened._

_The man put his hand on Michael's shoulder and spun him around. Jacob turned around on his own, with a look of anger on his face._

"_DON'T TOUCH ME, YOU MOTHER FUCKER!" Michael screamed at him, and even slapped the mans hand away. _

_Now everyone in the store was taking notice. _

"_Gentlemen, please stop." One of the store clerks said._

"_Why you fucking with us, man?" Jacob asked very angrily._

_The man got a good look at the boys and then asked a question which Michael always hoped no one would ever ask him._

"_You're Mike Pengel, Jr.'s son, aren't you?" He asked. _

_Michael froze in place. Everyone in the store was looking at him. _

_Thankfully, Jacob stepped in. "What fucking business is it of yours who my cousin here is related to you fat fuck?" He angrily asked the man._

_The man didn't like that. "You are, aren't you? And since you said you're his cousin, that makes you his nephew, huh?" He asked._

_Now, it was Jacob's turn to freeze._

_At this point, the two cashiers were calling the cops. For a disturbance._

"_You two are related to that murdering piece of shit?" _He asked. "_That bastard killed my daughter." _

"_Hey, you leave them alone." A lady in the store, around her mid 30's, said to the man._

"_You mind your business, bitch. That kid's dad took something from me. And he has to pay for it." He said._

"_So, beating up a kid makes you feel good, you fat ugly bitch?" Jacob asked._

_The man then lunged at Jacob and picked him up by the scruff of his shirt._

"_I outta teach you some manners for that big mouth of yours. Mike Pengel Jr. is in jail. And if I have to pound a loser 13 year old to make me feel better then so be it." He said. _

_Jacob was trying to break free, while everyone in the store looked on in horror._

_Then, Michael did the only thing he could do to help his cousin from a beating by some random stranger._

_He was behind the man, and kicked him as hard as he could in the balls._

"_AAAHHH!" The man cried out, dropping Jacob, and falling to the floor holding his now injured testicles._

_The woman who stood up for Michael and Jacob went over and kicked the man in the stomach for good measure. _

"_Are you boys okay?" She asked. They both nodded._

_A few minutes later, two cops came over and were told everything by all the onlookers, as well as the woman who defended Jacob and Michael. So, obviously, the man was arrested for assault. On a young teen no less._

_As the cops were leading him out the door, he shouted something over to the boys. Michael especially. _

"_**You'll probably be just like him. After all, you know the old saying: Like Father, Like Son."**_

_The people in the store were all checking on the boys, asking if they were okay._

_When Diane Donovan heard about what had happened when another police officer had taken Jacob and Michael home, she obviously dropped every she was doing to make sure they were okay. _

_But, even after all that, the only thing Michael could do was just lay on his bed and stare at the ceiling._

**-/- End Flashback -/-**

The girls just looked on in shock.

**Author's Note: Here's Chapter 7. Yeah, I had something planned for Michael for a long time now. Hope all of you look foreword to more teenage anx stuff. Remember to like, comment, favorite and follow. Thank you all and goodnight everybody.**


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